


Class 78’s Face-Off Hope Romp

by FierySprites



Series: Worlds in Motion [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Miitopia (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Because Miitopia, Crack Treated Seriously, Crossover, Dub Terms, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Makoto Has No Idea What's Going On, Nor does anyone else, Not Serious, Pre-Canon, Self-Insert Dark Lord, Snarky Narrator, Technically a Multi-Crossover, Usami Is Here For Some Reason, because why not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-07-12 07:02:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15990107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FierySprites/pseuds/FierySprites
Summary: On a seemingly normal day in Hope’s Peak Academy, a wormhole suddenly and randomly opens up in the courtyard – and Class 78 just so happens to stumble upon it. Out of nowhere, they find themselves whisked away into a new world:Miitopia!Unfortunately, there just so happens to be a crisis going on, with—of all the things that could happen—everyone’s faces getting stolen by some nefarious Dark Lord! And the only ones who can stop him are Makoto and his friends! Together, can this ragtag bunch of misfits brave this new realm, save the day (and their other friends), and get back home? Makoto sure hopes so…(A Miitopia adaptation featuring Class 78 fromDanganronpa: Trigger Happy Havocin the roles of the protagonists. This is totally a crack fic in disguise, and it’s going to be absolutelyglorious.)





	1. Prologue: A Rather Clichéd Opening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is set in an alternate timeline to _Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy – Side: Despair._ Class 78 has been enrolled in Hope’s Peak Academy for quite some time already, and none of the major Tragedy-inducing events have happened at all.

**_Hope’s Peak Academy_**.

_One of the most prestigious, government-run high schools in existence, founded with the goal to create hope for the future of the world. It takes in only students that are showcase exceptional skills in various talents – hereby dubbed the **Ultimates**. It is said that any student that graduates from this academy will find success anywhere in life._

_In another future, this academy would be host to an apocalypse—The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History—where despair would reign over the world, where students would be forced to kill each other for the sake of said despair… where there was no longer any hope for the future._

_But this is not that story._

_In this future, Hope’s Peak Academy would instead have its fate tied in tandem with that of another dimension altogether:_

**_Miitopia_**.

_A colorful realm full of Miis from far and wide—even taking the form of familiar characters—living together in peace and harmony. There was even a place for adventurers, who would trek across the landscape, find treasure, and help out any friends in need. It was a comfortable place to live, peaceful as a certain famed World of Miracles._

_But it was not to be._

_Miitopia is now host to its own crisis—featuring a nefarious Dark Lord—where a similar despair triumphs over the hopes of the inhabitants, where monsters torment many poor villagers across the countryside… where few hopeful souls would dare rise up to defeat the villainy that now plagues this world._

_But perhaps a different hope is needed for this situation._

_If the students of Hope’s Peak Academy can create hope for their world… who’s to say they can create it for a world desperately in need of hope, too? Who’s to say that maybe, just maybe… this alignment of the stars can’t further the spread of their own hope, either?_

_And this, my dear readers… is where our tale officially begins._

_A tale of how hope overcame despair, a tale of how bonds of friendship grew deeper than ever before…_

_…and a tale of how ten Ultimate students became ten **Ultimate Adventurers**._

_(…existing Ultimate Adventurers notwithstanding, of course.)_

* * *

**Hope’s Peak Academy – Hallway**

When it comes to Hope’s Peak Academy, there are no shortage of groups that one might declare a ‘ragtag bunch of misfits’ (and by proxy, situations that could’ve only come out of the most eccentric anime). In fact, Hope’s Peak attracts a wide variety of them, being a school made to house the best of the best—and we all know how… interesting best of the best people can get in situations like these. (Class 77-B happens to have some of the more bombastic types of Ultimates—it’s a miracle they’re functioning at all.)

Every class to enter Hope’s Peak Academy always come out as a tight-knit group, just by the nature of their wildly varied personalities bouncing off one another. But no one has ever truly seen as tight a bond as the one shared between Class 78. While this one class does have its fair share of abrasive personalities and varying levels of both intelligence and common sense, none can deny that the friendships between them aren’t anything short of phenomenal, not to mention all the wacky circumstances they often ended up in. (To this day, all of them—even Junko—would swear that the Great Justice Robo Incident never happened. _Ever.)_

Little did they know that they were about to bear witness to some of the strangest things they would ever see. (But that’s for a little later.)

Currently, this rowdy group of sixteen were walking together in the halls of this prestigious school. “…I’m telling you, dudes!” **Yasuhiro Hagakure** —the Ultimate Clairvoyant—was insisting to his friends. “It was totally _aliens_ that stole my sandwich away from me! How can you not believe that!?”

“Maybe it’s because aliens _aren’t real,”_ **Leon Kuwata** —the Ultimate Baseball Star—replied with a groan, a hand drawn to behind his head. “Seriously, why do you keep trying to convince us otherwise? You know it’s not going to work.”

“D-Don’t bother t-talking to him,” **Toko Fukawa** —the Ultimate Writing Prodigy—interjected, her face scrunched up with her signature stressed-nervous-‘I-hate-all-of-you’ expression. “I-It’s obvious his i-idiocy knows no bounds.”

“That is quite true,” **Celestia Ludenburg** —the Ultimate Gambler—agreed. “If he were to partake in a game of cards, I dare say he would be the first to bust out.”

“H-Hey, that’s not true!” Yasuhiro protested. “I’m not an idiot, and I definitely wouldn’t be the first out!”

“Hmph.” **Byakuya Togami** —the Ultimate Affluent Progeny—crossed his arms. “Trust me, if there was any part of you that was any sort of intelligent, you wouldn’t have been held back thrice before coming here. No amount of protests will change that fact.”

“Come on guys, don’t be mean,” said **Makoto Naegi** —the Ultimate Luckster—in an attempt to placate everyone. “We’ve got a whole day to ourselves, and there’s a lot we can do. We shouldn’t fight with each other over something like this.”

“Yeah, you heard Makoto!” **Aoi Asahina** —the Ultimate Swimming Pro—excitedly said. “We can go and eat so many donuts together! _Oooooooh_ , I can’t wait!”

“I dunno, I’m not exactly looking forward to eating more donuts,” **Mondo Owada** —the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader—stated. “Didn’t we just go to that donut shop last week? I’m just saying, it might be a bit too much…”

“You can never have too many donuts!” Aoi confidently declared, pumping her fists together. “That’s like saying that you can have too many pools, or too much exercise! It's just impossible!”

“That last part is something I can certainly agree with,” **Sakura Oogami** —the Ultimate Martial Artist—nodded. “It is best to keep up with exercise every day if you can.”

“Yes! I agree as well!” **Kiyotaka Ishimaru** —the Ultimate Moral Compass—loudly proclaimed. “Only then can you truly live the best life you can! In fact, we should go and do just that! It is a perfect sunny day for at least ten jogs around the school!”

“T-Ten jogs around the school!?” **Hifumi Yamada** —the Ultimate Fanfic Creator—shouted. “Some of us can’t do that at all! Our Endurance stats aren’t high enough!”

“Which is why now is a great time to start!” Kiyotaka kept talking. “After all, if you start exercising now and continue into the future, then you will get fit, which has been proven to boost your ability to study and work hard!” And from there he went on another one of his rants about exercise and education, or something related to that, anyway. Honestly, everyone else had just learned to tune them out by this point.

“And there he goes again,” **Junko Enoshima** —the Ultimate Fashionista—sighed. “Too bad he can’t go on any interesting tangents instead. Say, Mukuro,” Junko prodded her sister, “what do you make of all of this?” She put her hands on her hips and stood up in a royalty-esque way (complete with a crown on her head!), proclaiming in a faux-deeper voice, “Do you think this will be a hangout worthy for a queen such as we?”

 **Mukuro Ikusaba** —the Ultimate Soldier—simply smiled warmly. “I think it’ll be fine,” she said. “Days like this always have their own charm to them.”

As Taka continued his little tirade, **Chihiro Fujisaki** —the Ultimate Programmer—interjected with “‘Taka, it’s alright. We can exercise together another time. For now, I think we should enjoy the day. We don’t have to do work all the time.”

“Yeah, come on, bro!” Mondo put a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “It’s alright to take days off for what they are! Like Makoto said, there’s a whole lot we can do today!”

“…you do have a point, bro,” Kiyotaka relented. “Very well! Let us focus our efforts into making today the best social gathering it can be!”

A little away from the trio of friends, **Sayaka Maizono** —the Ultimate Pop Sensation—looked on at all the verbal shenanigans going about. “I love it when we all get together like this,” she remarked, Makoto and Kyoko right beside her. “Say, what do you want to do today, Makoto?”

“I… don’t really know,” Makoto admitted. “I was just going to go with the flow. I mean, I don’t want to make anyone mad just choosing someplace they won’t like.”

“I’m sure that won’t happen,” **Kyoko Kirigiri** —the Ultimate Detective—assured her friend. “No one’s ever been unhappy about where you choose to take us. Wherever we go, we’ll face it with pride. You have my word on that.”

“You guys really think so?” Makoto asked, wearing a nervous, but happy-looking smile on his face.

“Of course!” Sayaka said. “We wouldn’t have nominated you Class Representative if we didn’t think that!”

Yes, these sixteen students truly shared a group bond almost unmatched amongst several other ragtag bunches out there in the cosmos. There were just so many personalities, able to bounce off one another so seamlessly, that it would make Kirby—who would most likely have the talent of ‘Ultimate Friend Maker’—squeal in joy at the sight.

But alas, this fabled day off was not to begin—or end, for that matter—the way they'd like it to. For just outside the academy hallways, a bright light, accompanied by some warping sound, emanated from the courtyard. Startled, the whole of Class 78 briefly stared at the door where the light had briefly shone through. “W-W-What was that!?” Makoto stammered.

“Yeah,” Mondo agreed, “what he said. What the hell was that?”

Kyoko replied, “I don't know, but my instincts are telling me we should hurry and find out.”

“You heard Kyoko!” Sayaka said, her face and voice determined. “Let's go!”

* * *

**Hope's Peak Academy – Courtyard**

The sixteen students of Class 78 rushed as fast as they could outside. Their minds thought furiously about what could be awaiting them. But right then and there, they discovered something that no one—not even the most science-geared Ultimate—could have ever predicted. (Well, maybe they could’ve, but let's just say they missed a couple spot checks this one time.)

A large blue vortex sat blatantly in the courtyard of Hope's Peak Academy, swirling and taunting everyone with the utter impossibility of its presence. It seemed like a paradox to what was otherwise a perfectly normal day. Several reactions occurred.

Sayaka and Kyoko clutched both of Makoto's hands tightly, while the Luckster himself had both his eyes sides at the sight. Some of the students—Aoi, Kiyotaka, and Mondo, for example—were staring slackjawed at the portal. Others—including Toko, Leon, and Yasuhiro—were rubbing their hands through their hair in disbelief. (Chihiro, meanwhile, was cowering behind Mondo – not that the gang leader could blame her.) Even the stoic three—Celeste, Byakuya, and Kyoko—couldn't believe what they were seeing. In addition, various squawks and shouts were echoing from the cast.

“…well, this is new,” Kyoko blankly vocalized, her normally composed face betraying a little bit of surprise.

“Is that… Is that a wormhole!?” Leon gaped, pointing at the vortex with a shaking finger.

“I've never seen anything like _this_ before…” Sakura stated, similarly in a state of shock.

Hifumi, being well-knowledged in clichéd plots in fiction, reacted appropriately. “Oh no! That must mean… _we're about to become the protagonists of an Isekai anime!”_ he dramatically exclaimed. (Well, I suppose he wouldn't be too far off the mark this time. Just minus the anime part.) “Run away! We can't let it catch us! I didn't sign up for thissssss!”

As the otaku began to blunder about in circles, Celeste facepalming at her self-made subordinate's antics, Yasuhiro declared to the others, “T-This is totally what I foresaw last night, dudes! A portal to another world would appear right here! Y-You see, guys? I told you aliens were real!”

“I'm pretty sure this _isn't_ the work of aliens, ‘Hiro,” Leon deadpanned.

“Besides, if it _were_ aliens, we would all have been abducted by now, if these supposed ‘aliens’ had technology advanced enough to do this,” Byakuya sneered, ever the snide voice of reason. “What we should really be asking is, ‘How dangerous is this wormhole to us?’”

“I-If that thing d-dares to come close t-to my Master,” Toko stammered, “I'll p-protect him w-with my l-l-life!” (For once, Byakuya looked like he appreciated this declaration. Probably because he knew how determined Toko and her other self could be.)

Unseen by the others, Mukuro quickly glanced at her sister, an eyebrow raised as if she were asking _‘You didn't have anything to do with this, do you?’_ She knew her sister well; acting on whims like this was just part of her despair-filled character. At least, then that would mean she had an idea about what to expect.

Unfortunately for the Ultimate Soldier, all Junko could do was just shrug her shoulders, her face just as confused as everyone else's. That meant she was clean. And that also meant this vortex was a totally unknown factor.

“Kids!” **Jin Kirigiri** —the current Headmaster of Hope's Peak (and also Kyoko's dad)—burst in from across the courtyard, looking a little winded from the amount of running he had to do. Class 78 turned their heads to look at him. “Stay back from that wormhole!”

The students quickly acquiesced to his commands, understanding the possible danger that had approached. “Headmaster!” Makoto, at least, looked relieved to see the older man's face. _We might be able to get some answers!_ “Do you know what's up with… with that?”

“Yeah! I've got half a mind to just run up to that fuckin' thing and punch it!” Mondo said, pumping his fists together.

“Unfortunately, no. We just caught wind of this, too, just as you kids did. We've got our top scientists trying to figure out why this wormhole has appeared in our academy. But don't be alarmed! So long as you evacuate back to your classrooms, we'll have this situation sorted out soo—!”

But before the Headmaster could finish his statement, the vortex began to warp and pulsate—and before anybody knew it, it began to start unwillingly drawing in the class! (And no, no amount of backing away would've helped them here.)

“W-W-Wait, what's g-going on!?” Aoi stammered, feeling the floor trying to give out from under her.

“Oh no, _it's already starting!”_ Hifumi was panicking even harder, somehow already airborne despite being the largest one around. _“I-I'm not ready to leave this level! I still haven’t seen all the 2D I can yeeeeeeeet!”_

 _“Oh shut your mouth, you little porkstein!”_ Celeste shouted at Hifumi, her patience long gone. _“It's not just you that's being affected!”_

 _“What she said, except maybe not so rudely!”_ Leon agreed. By this point, all of Class 78 was floating in the air, being sucked in by the portal. And _only_ Class 78; Headmaster Kirigiri could only stare in horror. “Kids? Kids!” he called out to them – but sadly, there was nothing he could do to help.

“M-M-Mondo, h-hold me!” Chihiro yelled, trying desperately to hold on to her two friends.

Mondo, to his credit, was clutching the diminutive programmer as tightly as he could. “Don't worry, Chihiro! I'll protect you from this!” he declared. “T-That's a man's promise!”

Kiyotaka was trying his best to control the situation as well. “Everybody, do not fear! We—We will surely overcome this predicament we are in! All we have to do is stay—!”

 _“Screw that, ‘Taka, we're all **doomed!”**_ Yasuhiro interrupted the Moral Compass, flailing his arms all about. “The aliens have finally got us, man! Ohhhhhh, _I want my mommy!”_

“S-Stop your w-whining, a-already!” Toko, despite the given circumstances, looked plenty annoyed at the Clairvoyant's words. “Y-Your words are j-just giving me an even b-bigger headache.”

“None of my training in Fenrir ever prepared me for this…!” Mukuro muttered, doing her best to keep upright. “W-What is this…!?”

“How could it be drawing only us in?” Sakura similarly muttered. “What sort of sorcery _is_ this…?”

 _Is this what despair of the unknown is like?_ Junko thought, playfully spinning around in the air. _If so… I think I want more of it!_

“Kyoko! Sayaka!” Makoto glanced at his two friends, still trying to hold onto their hands. “W-What's going on!?”

“I don't know,” Kyoko replied. “But we can't let go, or else—!”

She didn't get a chance to finish her statement, however. “Head's up!” Sayaka shouted, as with one final burst of wind, the students were sent spiraling toward the center of the wormhole. As everyone else was screaming and struggling to hold onto one another, Byakuya yelled, _“When I find who's behind this, I swear on my name as a Togami that I'll make them payyyyy!”_

And so, as Class 78 disappeared entirely from the world which they had known for so long, they had no idea that they were about to embark on a journey – a most bizarre and most incredible journey there could be, with faces that seemed impossible and magic that seemed extraordinary. This was to be, to all of Hope's Peak Academy, and to Class 78, the Ultimate Adventure. And it would be one that was truly unforgettable.

But that was not what was running through Jin Kirigiri's mind at the moment. Right then and there, the one thing running through his mind, as he stated at the place where his students had just been, was:

_…this is going to be another one of those days, isn't it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For maximum hilarity, play to the tune of _Mario & Luigi: Dream Team's_ ‘Panic Pit’. You're welcome.
> 
> So here's something out of left field – a _Miitopia_ fic, starring the cast from _Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc! Miitopia_ was an amazing experience for me, start to end, and it was fun to imagine various fictional characters taking each role in the game. (And a couple OCs for my brother’s amusement.)
> 
> I've always wanted to do a _Miitopia_ fic, but I've never really felt confident in it until now. This is going to be a bit of an experiment on my end, doing this alongside **A Goddess’s Arena** and **Are You a Friend, Too?** , but I'll try my best to hopefully make things work. I'll even be replaying the game as I go, so wish me luck!
> 
> That's all for now. Next time, we get the party really rolling. Stay tuned!


	2. Hope for Some Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto finds himself waking in a new world, with strange inhabitants and an even stranger villain threatening them. So… this is the realm of Miitopia?

_ Somewhere between space and time… _

_“Oh, no! That naughty, naughty Dark Lord is trying to cause havoc in two worlds at once! He’s tearing apart the peace and happiness everywhere! That’s so… so **terrible!**_

_Well, I won’t let him continue his wicked misdeeds! I’m going to help these students and everyone else in the best way I can! He won’t be able to get his hands on everyone—I swear that on my name as a Magical Miracle Girl!_

_But first, I have to make sure he can’t break in again to Hope’s Peak Academy! It would be very bad if he managed to get his hands on more students like that! Don’t worry, Makoto, everyone—I’ll come back for you! Just let me take care of this first!”_

* * *

**Location:** Somewhere, I think…

A groan let itself loose from Makoto’s lips as he lay face-first onto the floor. His consciousness was finally coming back to him, after it had been so abruptly knocked from him like that. “Ughhhhh… What… happened…?” Slowly, he lifted his head and slowly opened his eyes, his ahoge popping up on his hair just as normal. “We… We were walking through the halls, all sixteen of us… And then…”

As his senses came back to him, he began to remember. “That’s right!” He got himself into a sitting position, a finger on his chin as he thought. “We found a portal to somewhere floating in the courtyard. The Headmaster came in and tried to get us away from it, but then we were all just sucked into it. That being said…”

Makoto cast his eyes around the area. Instead of the courtyard of Hope’s Peak Academy, he found himself in some rather idyllic blue-green fields, a series of small, sloped rock-mountains plastered all about the hills alongside some bushes of flowers. This was… like nowhere he’d ever seen back home. “…where _am_ I?” Not to mention… he was completely alone. “And where did everyone else go?”

If he and his sixteen friends were all sucked into the portal, then it stands to reason that all sixteen of them would have been placed around the same area. But yet, Makoto was the only one here. Sayaka, Kyoko, Leon, everyone… they were nowhere to be seen at all.

“This is just bizarre. Just… Just what’s going on? Why did that portal appear? Am I the only one around here? Ugh…” Without any other leads, the only thing he could do is sit up and get to his feet. “I’m not going to find any answers just sitting here. I’ve gotta move out and find everyone else. I’ve got to hope that that I can find them.” Makoto always had a little more optimism than most people – and it was this trait that would lead him to begin this adventure.

He started walking in a random direction. This being a new land, he had absolutely no idea where to go, so… hopefully he could find some trace of civilization eventually? It was a bit of a stretch, but it was all he had. And besides… he was sure that everyone else would be doing the same thing! So it wasn’t like it was a bad idea or anything.

There was something oddly comforting about the silence; nothing more than the sound of crickets and butterflies as he made his way across the plains. “…you know, maybe this won’t be as bad as it seems,” Makoto remarked to himself. “Maybe everyone’s just around the corner, and we’ll be able to figure out how to get back home!” He frowned a bit. “…that sounded a lot more convincing in my head.”

Out of the left corner of his vision, he noticed an abnormally-sized butterfly fluttering around. “Hey, look!” He gazed at it with interest, noting its pink and crystalline texture. He normally wouldn’t pay attention to stuff like that, but it wasn’t like anyone else was around to distract him. “That’s not something you normally see back home.”

As he stared, a faint but fairly noticeable light shone from above. Makoto immediately looked up, and was flummoxed by what he saw. “A-Are those… a pair of **eyes**?” he questioned. It flew around as if it were a butterfly itself, twirling around as his own eyes followed its trail. His curiosity rose and rose, until it unexpectedly shot straight into a nearby butterfly.

“W-Wha!?” The eyes were gone. As if they had never been there. Makoto blinked, trying to figure out what had just happened. _I… I wasn’t imagining that… right…?_ he thought, rubbing his eyes in confusion. Just as he was about to convince himself he was just seeing things… that very same pair of eyes sprouted _on the butterfly’s wings!_

Now, Makoto may have been someone that got easily frightened when it comes to things like horror movies (which Class 78 tended to watch a lot, for some reason). But even the most stoic person could agree that this was certainly something to be freaked out over.

“G- _Gah!”_ Makoto yelped, jumping back in surprise. The butterfly shrieked threateningly at the poor Luckster, and he wisely decided to make a break for it. _“What is up with my luck todaaaaaaaay!?”_ he screamed as he dashed away, not noticing the fact that the butterfly wasn’t even bothering to follow him at all. (Or maybe he was just too fast for it to follow him anyway.)

* * *

**Greenhorne Village**

Greenhorne Village was a fairly ‘out-there’ town on the outskirts of the kingdom of Greenhorne. It was quiet and peaceful, the sort of peace you’d—again—expect from Pop Star. Conflict and strife were almost nonexistent here, and everyone lived jollily and happily and all-around sweetly. (And if those words felt odd to say, then now you know how everybody _else_ feels about this town.)

And then Makoto Naegi barreled into the place, looking totally exhausted from what must’ve been several straight minutes of running (enough to give Aoi a run for her money!) and catching the eye of many a curious villager. “Oh… Oh jeez…” he panted, attempting to catch his breath. “That… That was… crazy! Those eyes… what was _up_ with that? Not even Hifumi could come up with something like that!”

“Hey, you there!” a fairly bold voice spoke up. Makoto looked around, trying to find the owner of the voice, but seemingly finding nothing. “No, I’m not _there._ Down here!”

Looking down, Makoto discovered yet another thing—or rather, person—that was far from normal. It was a tiny green… _thing,_ best described as a ‘plankton’, as Byakuya would definitely say, with two little antennae sticking out of his head. On his body was a single eye, the white yellow and the iris red, in a sort of disgruntled expression as he looked on up at the Luckster. The disbelief on Makoto’s face was most definitely visible, judging by the what the ‘thing’ said next. “What’s that look on your face for? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

By this point, Makoto’s suspension of disbelief was far below zero and had hit the negative values. “You’re… You’re a… I’m sorry, what are you, exactly?” Not exactly the most polite way of saying things, but what else was he supposed to say here?

“Jeez, you’re a real great talker. Get used to people like me here in **Miitopia** , buddy, or you’ll be walking ‘round with flies in your mouth.” Makoto closed his open mouth.

“Miitopia?” Finally, something he can actually get answers about.

“Yeah, that’s this whole place,” the little bug deadpanned. “The world we live in. You live under a rock or something? Hopefully you’re not as dumb as that other rock idiot I know…”

“I’m—I’m sorry, it’s just…” the Luckster tried to apologize. “A lot’s just happened, and I’m trying to come to terms with everything.” _Like that butterfly with human eyes, for example!_

“Sure, that’s what they all say. Whatever. I’m Plankton, the tour guide here. Yes, I’m literally named after what I am. Sue my parents for the uncreative name. And I welcome you to Greenhorne Village. This is place is kinda trash, but it’s a peaceful place. Just needs a few more uranium bombs if you ask me.”

“Oooooookay…” Makoto chuckled nervously. “S-Say… have you seen any of my friends come through here? They’re, uh, kind of my age, and look kinda distinct…” _Oh boy, I’m not very good at describing my friends…_

“You’re the first new person I’ve seen all day,” Plankton replied sardonically. “If anyone else has come, it was probably when I was sleeping. Why don’t you talk to anyone else? It’s not like _you’re_ an interesting person to converse with…”

“Y-Yeah…” Makoto rubbed a hand behind his head. “I-I’ll do that…” _M-Maybe some of the other people will be nicer?_ he thought as he walked away from the grumpy guide. _I don’t think even Byakuya was like that, even when we first met…_

The other villagers were varying shades of eccentric, too. There was the Cheery Granny Marie—

“Isn’t the weather just be-YEW-tiful today?”

—the Caretaker Alphys, currently doing the duty of babysitting Bowser Jr.—

“Woohoo!” Jr. declared, swooshing around. “I’mma Bowser! Rawr!”

“D-Don’t r-run around s-so much, J-Jr.!” Alphys stammered, trying in vain to catch up to the child Koopa. “O-Ohh, I should have n-never have t-taken this j-job…”

—the Lovey-Dovey Couple T-Rex and Amaterasu—

“You’re so _kyoooooo-oote,_ Amaterasu!” a freaking _Tyrannosaurus Rex_ cooed to his ‘lover’ (presumably), who was a _dog,_ of all the creatures.

“Nooooo, _you’re_ cute, Rex~!” the dog cooed back, making Makoto feel all around weirded out.

 _U-Ugh…_ he winced from the words. _This feels worse than the time Teruteru-senpai accidentally hyped his class up…_ He instinctively shuddered. _That_ was another event that Class 78 wished they could forget. _I’ll… I’ll just leave them alone…_

—and the Resident Sarcastic Guy Rick.

“What?” the cyan-haired grump grumbled to Makoto. “You want something with me?”

Being a ‘herbivore man’, as Junko so graciously described the Luckster, Makoto decided to get this over with as fast as possible. “N-No, I j-just wanted to know if you’ve seen any of my friends around!” he told him quickly.

Rick snorted. “No, I haven’t seen any of your friends. Hmph.” He then went off on a tangent, “It must be sooooooo nice of you adventurers, able to just waltz around like you’re on a vacation or something. Back in my day, I could go on all types of adventures better than the stuff here…”

While he rambled onto himself, Makoto took his leave. _Okay, so maybe I haven’t had the best of luck talking to everyone. B-But… that guy over there looks more helpful!_ Close to the gateway out of the village was a little kid, dressed in regal clothing that in no way looked like it suited him. _I-I have to try, right?_

Nervously, Makoto walked up to the kid. “H-Hey there!” he greeted.

The kid turned around. Now that Makoto got a better look at him, he noticed that the kid was actually _really_ young. Not even a teenager, even! He was wearing a yellow helmet too, with weird orange orbs on the sides. When Makoto called out to him, he looked up from the gaming device in his hands— _Is that a 3DS?_ the Luckster wondered. (He knew what that was, at least.)

“Oh, hey!” the kid brightened. “I’m 9-Volt, the Mayor of Greenhorne Village! Nice to meet you!”

Makoto was taken aback a bit. “M-Mayor? I-Isn’t that a little young for you?” _I mean, I know that there are ‘Lil Ultimates at Hope’s Peak, but sheesh!_

“Aw, shucks! I’ve been told that a lot, but truth is—my mom helps me run the town. The people just give me the ‘Mayor’ position ‘cause they really like me!” _(That seems… a little irresponsible of them,_ Makoto sweatdropped.) “Anyway… who are you?”

“I’m Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Luckster. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Ultimate Luckster?” 9-Volt tilted his head. “Is that a video game title? Never heard of anything like that…”

 _Oh yeah… This isn’t Hope’s Peak._ “It’s a… inside thing, back home,” Makoto said. “We give everybody titles like that, based on their talent. Though I’ll admit, luck is a bit of a nebulous talent to have…”

“…man, that sounds _cool!”_ The little mayor’s eyes were twinkling in fascination. “Ooh, ooh, I wonder if they could give me the title of Ultimate Gamer? I’m really good at video games! Even my friend 18-Volt has trouble sometimes keeping up with me!” In demonstration, 9-Volt held up his Nintendo 3DS, proudly displaying a game that Makoto vaguely recognized as a… Mario thing? _Chihiro and Hifumi would be better at recognizing this kind of stuff than me,_ Makoto thought.

Aloud, he stated, “We… kind of already have an Ultimate Gamer back home. S-Sorry about that.”

“Aww…” 9-Volt momentarily wilted, before brightening up again. “Well, that means that I’ll just have to meet this Ultimate Gamer and challenge ‘em myself!”

“O-Oh, yeah! S-Speaking of Ultimates… Have you seen any of my friends come around here? We got separated a while back, and I’m kind of looking for them. They go by Ultimate titles too, just like me.”

“Sorry, I haven’t seen anyone else like that yet.” _O-Oh…_ Well, that was expected, seeing as 9-Volt had reacted as if this was his first time hearing the term ‘Ultimate’, but still… “B-But that’s okay! If you just keep looking for them, I’m sure you’ll find your friends eventually!” His big smile was so genuine, it was hard for Makoto to try and dispute otherwise. Of course, Makoto being Makoto, he wouldn’t have tried arguing otherwise anyway. (His hope _was_ the strongest of everyone, after all.)

“T-That’s right! I just gotta keep my spirits up!” Makoto nodded confidently. “T-Thanks, 9-Volt. I really appreciate it.”

“Any time!” 9-Volt grinned in delight. “Greenhorne’s no fun when people are being sad! It’s a pretty great place to be! I play with my friends all the time. O-Ooh, I know! You can join us in our game sessions today! We don’t get a lot of visitors here, and I know Mom will be delighted to be have a new friend over!”

But Makoto was no longer focused on 9-Volt’s words. “Uh, hey, 9-Volt…? What’s going on up there…?” The Luckster pointed up toward the sky, a number of dark clouds suddenly overtaking the once bright and sunny skies.

“W-Wha!?” 9-Volt looked just as surprised – and if the murmurs with the rest of the villagers were any indication, he wasn’t the only one. “M-Mom never told me this type of weather could happen!”

The skies blackened and distorted, becoming filled with a sensation that oppressed the peaceful feeling of Greenhorne. _What is this?_ Makoto thought. _This feels like… **despair?**_ As he contemplated that thought, a menacing figure warped in above the town.

The wizard above could only be described as ‘cartoonishly evil,’ for he sported a deliciously dark cape, two pale hands with some fairly long and sharp nails, and a rather wicked-looking hairdo. (Though I wouldn’t want to have something like that on my head myself.) Most perplexing was his face, which looked fairly human—with brown eyes and square glasses, too. And that wasn’t even mentioning the evil aura around him. Makoto didn’t know what to say. This blatant paradox to all of society shouldn’t exist, and yet… there it was, right in front of Makoto’s eyes.

 **“Bwahahahahahaha!”** the obvious bad guy cackled (again, just look at that hairdo!). **“Tremble in fear, puny mortals! For I am the evil Dark Lord Fiery, come to wreak havoc and terror on this miserable little world!”** Even his motions were that of a stereotypical cartoon villain, his fingers wiggling about in a frightening manner. **“And I’m going to be starting with _you,_ people of Greenhorne Village!”**

Makoto was outright gaping. 9-Volt was, too. “T-T-T-That guy l-looks like he c-came straight out of o-one of my games!” the Mayor-in-name-only stammered, clutching Makoto’s side for dear life. The Luckster couldn’t help but agree.

**“It’s time for you all to taste true fear! Say good-bye… _to your faces!”_**

_W-Wait, what was that last part?_ The sound of _something_ began to emanate from behind the two, and they whipped around to see _the villager’s faces flying right off their bodies._ Their jaws dropped even further. “N-No way…!” 9-Volt said. “T-Their faces…!”

Plankton, Marie, Bowser Jr., Amaterasu, Rick… their faces were just separating from them, just like that! Almost instantly, Makoto was reminded of the butterfly he had seen not too long ago. He realized, _That must mean… **this** guy was behind it all? T-That’s impossible!_

The stolen faces, all shivering with fear, unwillingly floated alongside the Dark Lord. **“Well, this group of characters are a lot more colorful than I expected!”** Fiery mused. **They shall do nicely for now! Maybe I can put them on a bunch of puppets, and act out my roleplay fantasies!”** He looked so pleased with himself that it was actually kind of disgusting Makoto. _I can’t let this continue!_

With courage he didn’t even know existed, the Luckster shouted, “Knock it off!” Even if he was scared right now, he couldn’t let it impede him! “Let them go, right now!”

 **“Hmph! What can you do?”** Fiery dismissed. **“You’re just a powerless boy, helpless to fight back against my will! You’re not even worth my time.”** As much as he hated to admit it, Fiery was… kind of right. What _could_ Makoto do? It wasn’t like his talent of being lucky would help him out here – knowing his luck, he’d probably get beaten up by the first group of monsters he saw!

But… that wasn’t the point. The point was _someone_ had to stand up against this vile villain’s evil! It sounded a little cheesy, and it _was_ a little cheesy, but what kind of person would he be if he just sat there and didn’t try?

 **“Anyway! Listen up, you faceless freaks!”** The Dark Lord dramatically pointed a finger at those whose faces he stole. **“Get used to a life of wordless terror, because that’s what you’re going to be stuck with _forever!_** **And those who’ve been spared…”** He took a glance at Makoto and 9-Volt, the former of which was glaring defiantly into the Dark Lord’s eyes. **“Take a nice look at your poor little friends… and _DESPAIR! Bwahahahaha!”_**

Gathering his courage, Makoto shouted back, “I’ll show you! We won’t let you hurt everyone like this! I’ll stop you and save everyone!” Again, it was full of cheese, but he had to say it.

 **“You can try,”** Fiery scoffed. **“So long, suckers!”** And with that, the Dark Lord spun away, taking his newly acquired collection of visages with him. His disappearance, however, didn’t remove the atmosphere of fear and despair that was now rampart throughout the town.

“I-I-I have to tell Mom a-about this!” 9-Volt stated, both his hands clutched to his face in fright. “S-She—She’ll know w-what t-to do! O-Ohhhhhh, I a-am so n-not prepared for t-this!”

“It’s alright to be scared,” Makoto told 9-Volt, “so long as you don’t give up hope. I promise you, I’ll get everyone’s faces back. I won’t let that Dark Lord guy win!”

“C-Can you do t-that?”

Makoto actually had no idea how he was going to accomplish such a task, but he couldn’t say that now. “Of course!”

“T-Then, I’ll trust you!” 9-Volt looked just a little more relieved now. “You look like a good guy, just like my friends. So… go and kick his butt!”

Makoto nodded. “Don’t worry. I will!”

Newly reassured, 9-Volt sped off toward his house to inform his mother of the situation, leaving Makoto alone with his thoughts. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Luckster wasn’t exactly the strongest out of his group of friends, nor was he exactly the smartest or athletic. But he had **hope** , and with enough luck, that would be enough! …probably! Hopefully!

“Man, I didn’t know I could feel so… heroic like that,” Makoto chuckled. “I bet I sounded kind of dumb like that. I wonder what Sayaka would say…” That sobered him up a little. Now he had two tasks to do here: A) find his friends, and B) stop Dark Lord Fiery. “Right. Let’s go!”

But before he could venture out, another voice called out to him. “H-Hey, y-you there.” Makoto turned around, and there he saw the motherly dinosaur from before, accompanied by her faceless ward. Alphys, he recalled. “I-I overheard what you s-said to the D-Dark Lord,” she stammered. “Can… Can y-you really get Junior’s f-face back?”

He nodded confidently – it wouldn’t do to say ‘no’ right now. “T-Then, here. Take this.” Alphys shoved a little pendant into Makoto’s hand. “I-It’s a good-luck charm. I’ve had it for a w-while. It… It might be of use to you.”

“Thanks. And don’t worry. I promise I’ll get Junior’s face back!” Makoto gave one of his signature hope-giving smiles. “Just have a little hope!”

“A-Alright. J-Just make sure you do it quickly. I… I don’t want B-Bowser to find out what h-happened to his son w-while I was babysitting him…” With the good-luck charm placed in his pocket, Makoto rushed out of Greenhorne Village, determined to catch up with the Dark Lord and begin putting a stop to the villain’s sinister schemes.

And so it was here where Makoto’s journey would begin. A journey wrought with danger, but filled with just as many hopes. Could Makoto reunite with his friends and save Miitopia from its impending peril?

Well, we’ll just have to see, won’t we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes—I am the Dark Lord for this fic. Tremble in fear! I will steal all of your faces, and you will like it!
> 
> I still love how deliciously wacky _Miitopia_ is. It really goes all in on its premise, practically saying ‘We’re know not a serious game, so let’s show how not-serious we can be!’ I mean, the Big Bad here is a guy that literally steals faces for the lulz. And you can cast literally anyone into any role, thanks to the power of Miis. How can it not be so great under these conditions? (As one DeviantART user put it, it’s ‘the greatest crack fic generator ever.’)
> 
> I’m not gonna be making these chapters too long, because I wanna try and pace myself a little better. This isn’t an entirely serious venture, unlike **A Goddess’s Arena** , so I hope you guys don’t mind. Maybe this’ll make updates a little faster, eh?
> 
> Well, that’s all for now. Tune in next time for when Makoto actually gets a job! (It… sounds a lot more mundane than it actually is, trust me.)


	3. A Cleric to Heal Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto meets a bunny and gets a job. Those two _sound_ utterly irreconcilable, but I assure you, It Makes Sense in Context.

**Greenhorne Village – Outskirts**

Some journeys begin with a rather spectacular bang. Others build up their openings so subtly that you might be surprised things have led up to this point.

This adventure lies somewhere in the middle category, as Makoto rushed out toward the Easin Hills in order to try and find Dark Lord Fiery. Filled with a determination that had perhaps always been there, he was resolute in his goal to save the faces of Greenhorne!

Luckily (or unluckily) for Makoto, he didn’t have to go very far beyond Greenhorne Village before he found him again. In fact, he was practically just outside, sitting there as if he were _waiting_ for Makoto. (Jeez, what a huge jerk, amirite? All that power in the world and he’s just lazing around. Wait, that’s what I do, too—)

 **“Bwahahahahaha!”** the Dark Lord cackled again, sounding almost as if he had practiced it for weeks on end. **“Jeez, you actually _did_ follow me? You know I was being sarcastic when I said ‘you can try,’ right? You must have a death wish or something, trying to face off against one as mighty as I!”**

Makoto didn’t let Fiery’s taunts affect him. “That doesn’t matter now! Give Bowser Jr.’s face back, Dark Lord!” he demanded. No matter what, he wouldn’t back down now!

On command, Bowser Jr.’s face floated down between the two. _(“I want my dad!”_ he whined, not that Makoto could blame him. He must’ve been frightened, what with everything that was happening.) **“What, this ol’ thing?”** Fiery scoffed. **“You _really_ want this one back? Truly?”**

“Of course I do!” Makoto looked affronted by the sarcastic question. “You can’t just s-steal people’s faces like that! W-What kind of person _does_ that!?”

 **“Uh, me? Duh? The evil type of person?”** Now the Dark Lord was just looking bored by this whole confrontation. **“Tell you what. _Maybe_ I’ll give this one back to you… on one condition.”** Fiery flexed his fingers, and in a purple puff of smoke, a yellow slime straight out of a video game popped into view. He grinned maliciously. **“…how good are you in a fight?”**

“A-A _fight!?”_ _Oh crap, I **really** didn’t think this through! _ And now Makoto was beginning to panic a little. _Too bad Mondo or Sakura aren’t here…!_

Just like the butterfly from before, the Dark Lord had Jr.’s face spin around the monster, before forcefully attaching it to the slime. It loomed menacingly toward Makoto, and despite its small stature, it was clear that it could easily handle itself in a fight. “E-Eep!” the Luckster yelped. He tried to back away from it, but it wasn’t like he could run anyhere now.

 **“Well, I’ll be seeing you… if you _survive,_ that is! Bwahahahaha! I’m so evil, I scare myself!”** The Dark Lord warped away, leaving Makoto alone with the newly-faced monster before him.

“O-Oh boy…!” Makoto tried to raise some semblance of a fighting stance, but really, it looked pretty pathetic. (It wasn’t like he went out of his way to participate in fights or anything. He’s not the Ultimate Fighter or the Ultimate Hero or anything like that, after all.) “I-I can f-fight you!” he stammered. “D-Don’t come any closer…!”

The Bowser Jr. Slime got closer.

Makoto flinched. (He really should’ve seen that coming.) He gulped. _This is gonna suck!_

But just before he could fully meet his impending doom, the pendant he had gotten from Alphys flew out of his pocket. It began to float in the air between the two beings, glowing rather brightly and vibrantly. “W-What now!?” Makoto asked. A flash of light illuminated the stage, and blinded his vision for a few brief moments.

“T-This better not be anything bad…!” he hoped with all of his heart, closing his eyes in anticipation. “These last few minutes were already crazy enough…!”

(Luckily for him—for once—it wasn’t anything bad after all.)

(Just a little bit too… _lovey-dovey_ for his tastes.)

* * *

**Location:** _I don’t even know anymore…_

A feeling of peace and tranquility washed over the area; a far cry from the imminent danger of just moments before. _“Oh, great…”_ Makoto muttered. _“What’s going on now?”_

The Luckster opened his eyes, only to find that he was now in some… bizarre realm, with blue and purple colors flying about in a transcendent manner, as if they were the Northern Lights. It was a testament to how _weird_ his day had been that he was beginning to grow used to these type of shenanigans. “Well…” he sighed, looking around, “at least things can’t get any weirder from here.”

 _“Oh, my!”_ an extremely girly voice suddenly echoed. _“You found my Super-Special Miracle Pendant! That makes everything a whole lot easier!”_ She sounded so saccharine, it could've come out from a children’s education show. And had Makoto not been enrolled in Hope’s Peak Academy, it would’ve felt pretty weird to hear. Actually, no wait, it's still pretty weird. _“You really are as lucky as they say!”_

“W-Who’s there!?” Makoto whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the voice— _It can’t be the Dark Lord, this person sounds too much like a kid to be him—_ and yet, nobody was around. _What is up with today; sheesh!_ “C-Come out and show yourself!”

_“You seem very agitated today – but I don’t blame you! It’s been a craaaaaaazy day for both you AND me! But don’t be scared! I’m not like that wicked Dark Lord at alllllll~!”_

“You… You sure about that?” Makoto crossed his arms, his face in a disbelieving stance. “I don’t want to assume the worst, but… like you said, it _has_ been a pretty weird day…” _Not to mention, I still haven’t found any of my friends yet…_

 _“If you’re really so unsure, then how ‘bout I reveal myself to you! O-Oop, but not in the way I’m sure you’re thinking! I’m a proper lady, after all!” (Somehow, I really doubt that,_ Makoto internally deadpanned. _A-And, I’m sure I wouldn’t think… whatever she thinks I’m thinking at all.)_ _“Well, here I come!”_

Jumping in from the sky, a white blur bounded in front of Makoto. This person was shorter in stature than him, so he was forced to draw his gaze down – only to find that the ‘person’ before him wasn’t much of an actual person at all. Standing right there was a little white, cartoonish bunny rabbit, adorned with a pink ribbon, bib, skirt, and even _wings._ On her back was some sort of magical wand, the tip similarly utilizing more heart and wing shapes to create a _very_ magical girl-esque weapon (of possibly mass destruction). The Luckster felt his face go slack from the sight (and if his friends were around, they’d certainly have the same reaction too). _W-W-What’s going on here!? Why is everything so **insane!?**_

 _“I’mmmmmm **Magical Miracle Girl**_ ** _★ Usami_** _! I’m an adorably soft stuffed animal who's sweet like milk!”_ the little rabbit declared, proudly standing upright and leaving Makoto still utterly flabbergasted. _“Nothing will come to threaten you so long as I’m here! Love, love!”_

Makoto just stared for a bit, unable to come up with any words. Finally, he managed to get out, “…you have got to be kidding me!” He… He didn’t accidentally wander into one of Hifumi’s anime again… did he? “W-What the heck are you!?”

 _“I told you!”_ Now Usami’s voice was scolding, a tone that Makoto definitely didn’t want on her. _“I’m Usami! I’m like your guardian spirit here in Miitopia! I would have come to talk to you sooner, but I was busy trying to deal with that naughty Dark Lord and his naughty, naughty ways!”_

“Y-You mean… the Dark Lord Fiery? The guy with the weird face?” Makoto inquired.

_“Of course! That bad guy is causing all sorts of havoc on Miitopia! He even tried to invade you guys’ Hope’s Peak Academy earlier! I had to use a lot of power to make sure you guys didn’t fall into his grasp like he wanted!”_

“H-He tried to invade _Hope’s Peak!?”_ That sounded preposterous; Hope’s Peak had security measures the like of which even _military complexes_ would be jealous at! (…he thought.) “T-Then… he must be why there was a portal in the courtyard!”

It made as much sense as anything else, he had to admit. I mean, if the guy could steal _faces,_ then interdimensional wormholes weren’t anything out of the ordinary.

 _“Yep!”_ And it looks like his suspicions were correct. _“Wow, you’re pretty perceptive, Makoto! But don’t worry! He won’t be trying the same thing twice, I can tell you that! Not when he can’t get through the portal now!”_

“S-So… if you managed to get us all to Miitopia safely… does that mean you know where all my friends are?” he dared to ask.

 _“Sorry, but I don’t know!”_ Makoto’s face fell hard. Well, so much for that. _“The Dark Lord was a lot more wicked than I thought he’d be—so I lost track of everyone! B-But don’t worry!”_ She looked a little panicked as she tried to reassure him. _“I-I’m sure that as long as you keep hoping, you’ll find them eventually! I’ll even do my best to locate them so that you don’t feel so sad and lonely!”_

“Heh heh… You know, that sounds like the type of thing I’d say to my friends, to cheer them up,” Makoto noted, scratching the back of his head. “T-Thanks for that.”

 _“Of course! It’s my duty as your tea—I mean, a Magical Girl to keep everyone happy! Hope can overcome any despair! Love, love!”_ A virtual light bulb then went off in Usami’s head. _“Oh, that’s right!”_ she suddenly stated. _“If you’re going to save everyone from that evil Dark Lord, you’re gonna need powers!”_

“Powers?” Makoto looked surprised for a moment. “Y-You mean… like the stuff you can do?”

 _“Yep-yep! With my Magical Girl powers, I can give you a **job** so that you can stand up to all those monsters! My handy-dandy Magic Stick can do all that you need!”_ Usami whipped her wand from behind her back. _“You ready?”_

“Uhh… S-Sure, I guess.” If this would help him find his friends and save the day, then… sure! After all, Usami didn’t seem like a bad person – that fluffy persona and outfit couldn’t be anything less than genuine.

 _“Okay! Bibidi bobidi, bibidi bobidi… **BOOOOOO!”**_ Usami’s Magic Stick began to glow with a passionate pink, a flurry of magenta orbs floating about near the two of them. “W-Wow, what is this…? This feels… pretty warm, actually…” Makoto felt like remarking.

In a brilliant flash of light, Makoto’s garbs completely changed – gone was the black jacket and green hoodie he wore literally all the time (like seriously, was he trying to be Mario or something?), replaced by a set of black vestments with a stripe going down the middle of his headwear. A staff—no wait, calling it a staff would be an insult to staffs—a wooden stick was now situated in his hands, with part of the wood shaved off near the middle so that it was easily graspable. Usami proudly declared, _“Now you’re have the job of a **Cleric** , Makoto! With this job, you’ll be able to attack enemies and heal your allies!”_

“W-Wow…!” Makoto was awed, admittedly. He felt a lot stronger now than he’d been five minutes ago! …not a lot, mind you, but certainly a little more than was normal! “I feel like I can really take on those monsters now!” He grinned.

 _“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”_ Usami cheered, jumping up and down in delight. _“Now go and show that Dark Lord who’s boss!”_

* * *

**Greenhorne Village – Outskirts**

And then Makoto was back outside Greenhorne Village, with the Bowser Jr. Slime still in front of him – but this time, he had the power of a Cleric (and a stick) on his side! “A-Alright!” he glared at the Slime. “I can take you down now!”

With all the finesse of a Level 1 Beginning Adventurer, Makoto slammed his stick into the monster, and it reeled back as if it had been spanked. This was… satisfying, in its own way. Angered, the Slime struck back; then Makoto did the same; and from there the fight somehow devolved into a bunch of clouds obscuring the whole thing from sight. The only thing that could be seen from there were Makoto and the Slime’s heads popping up here and there. What a great view, surely.

(I’m sure an actual fight like this wouldn’t be anything more interesting than one of those ever-present Pokémon tutorial battles, so at the very least we can be done with this faster—rushed nature or not. You think I want to write a Tackle-Tackle-Tackle fight on paper? That’s just boring! …wait a minute, what do you mean the speech-to-text device’s still rolling—)

One endless tussle and about half a dozen-or-so hits later, the Slime had been taken down, whatever dignity it may have had totally lost from the ‘epic’ fight. “Hah… hah…” As it lay defeated, Makoto could be seen panting heavily beside it, his clothes a little roughed up from the tussle. “I… I did it!” The Luckster-turned-Cleric let a smile appear on his face. “I… I actually did it!” He laughed a bit, almost unbelieving of what had just happened. “I can do this. I can actually do this!”

The Slime, after laying on the ground for a little bit longer, finally became vanquished (‘bout time!), the visage that was so carelessly plastered upon it freed from its prison. Bowser Jr.’s face looked surprised for a moment, before flying away back toward Greenhorne Village with a “Woooooo-hoooooo! I can _fly!”_ Evidently, he wasn’t thinking too much about the situation.

As Makoto watched the face fly off, he fell to the ground. “Phew! That took more out of me than expected…”

Beside him, Usami suddenly popped into view. _“I knew you could do it, Makoto!”_ she declared.

Makoto was startled into falling over. “G-Gah!” He collapsed unceremoniously. “D-Don’t scare me like that, Usami!”

 _“Sorry. I’m just so excited that you managed to beat that horrible monster all by yourself! Love, love!”_ she apologized. _“Anyway, as you can see, you managed to save that child from a faceless doom! If you can keep fighting and build up your strength, then you’ll be able to save Miitopia in no time!”_

“You really think so?” Now that Makoto thought about it, something like that was a pretty big task to undertake. I mean, saving the whole _world?_ He could barely keep up with the grades on his exams!

 _“I know you can! You’ve got a heart-throbbing adventure ahead of you—all you gotta do is just hope and believe! If you can save one person, then you can save everyone else too!”_ Usami sounded so confident, so assured in Makoto’s ability to succeed, that he himself was gradually beginning to feel that way too. Maybe… Maybe he _could_ do this. _“For now, why don’t you try heading back to the village? I’m sure the person you rescued will be reeeeeallly grateful!”_

“Yeah… You’re right! W-Well, I shouldn’t just sit here!” The Luckster got off the ground, a reserved smile on his face and a sense of renewed hope brewing up within him. “Back to Greenhorne Village I go!” And so, he marched back the way he came, with Usami waving him off as he went. _“Good luck, Makoto!”_ she called out to him. _“And don’t forget to brush your teeth, too!”_

* * *

**Greenhorne Village**

“O-Ohh, thank M-Mew Mew that y-you’re back safe!” Alphys said as soon as Bowser Jr.’s face was back where it belonged, the caretaker looking absolutely relieved. Bowser Jr., to his credit, didn’t look all that affected by the face theft – in fact, he looked exactly the same as he had been ten minutes ago. “I-I d-don’t know what I w-would’ve done if B-Bowser came a-and saw you like that.”

“Eh, it was actually pretty cool!” Bowser Jr. proclaimed. “I was, like, _flying_ through the air, and I could feel the wind try to _eat_ me!” _U-Uhh, I’m sorry, **what?**_ Makoto was pretty sure that wasn’t the type of thing that had happened. _I don’t think even Artistic License works that way… Hifumi would agree with me, at least._ But he wasn’t about to disparage the kid; he looked overjoyed just to have experienced everything.

As Bowser Jr. went on babbling, Alphys turned to Makoto—who had just been standing there, happily overseeing events—and stammered, “I-I really c-can’t thank you e-enough. I w-was so w-worried, I c-couldn’t even watch my f-favorite anime.”

“It was nothing,” Makoto replied—but Alphys didn’t seem to think that way.

“T-That wasn’t ‘nothing,’ y-you know. I d-don’t know how I can r-repay you… O-Oh! I know!” Alphys dug around into her pockets, trying to find something—and it seemed as if the pockets were _really_ deep, considering that she was tossing out a virtual _truckload_ of items as she looked. VHS boxes upon VHS boxes tumbled from her hands, and Makoto vaguely recognized them as… _Is… Is that anime?_ he thought, slightly intrigued. Well, now he knew where to bring Hifumi whenever he found him.

“H-Here!” Abruptly, the yellow dinosaur shoved a bunch of gold coins into Makoto’s hands. “Take it. I, I don’t h-have a real need for it, o-or anything.”

“T-Thanks!” The Luckster slipped it all into his pockets. _I’ll sort them out later,_ he decided.

“C-Come on, Junior,” Alphys then turned to her ward. “L-Let’s get to sleep. It’s b-been a long day…”

“Really? …Okay!” The babysitter-kid duo set off toward what was presumably Alphys’ place of residence, once again leaving Makoto standing alone in the square. Though one face may have been rescued from the clutches of monsters, there were still several more left to go. The skies above the town were still dark and cloudy, and it didn’t look like they’d be going away until everything was rectified. (Which is so not how weather works, but then again, I’m not a weatherman. For all I know, that _is_ how weather works, and we’re all just ignorant to that fact.)

Makoto nodded to himself. “Alright. That’s one guy down, and four more to go!” He took another look back at the villagers. They were all either standing in a slumped position or sitting down on the floor – either way, it was clear they were in despair. Makoto didn’t like that. (Briefly, he imagined what it would be like if it was one of his friends in their place—and immediately decided not to think about it too hard.) “Whatever it takes,” he swore, “I’ll bring back hope to Greenhorne Village. And I’ll find my friends too! I just gotta remember that!”

So long as he held onto that, Makoto knew that he’d be able to do anything. And so, with his stick held high, he raced out of the village, ready to go and defeat the evils of Miitopia. _Here we go,_ he thought. _I can do this!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In-game, I made Makoto a Kind Cleric – Kind because he is the Ultimate Hope, after all, and a Cleric because… come on, he’s a Hope Bringer. It just felt appropriate.
> 
> If you’re wondering where the rest of Class 78 is, don’t fear! They’ll start joining Makoto’s party starting next chapter. I’ve got a whole list of party members already selected for this run (and no, I’m not going to be changing them anytime soon), and I’ll try my best to write out some of the more interesting character interactions for the crew I’ve chosen. And their reactions to all of _Miitopia_ , of course. Hope’s Peak may be weird, but it’s certainly not _Miitopia_ levels of weird. And I’m prepared to capitalize on that.
> 
> And yes, Usami’s the ‘guardian spirit’ for this run. Because… why the heck not? It’s got a lot of humor potential, and it’s not like I’m going to make her the Great Sage or anything. (That’d be weird, for endgame reasons I’m sure players of _Miitopia_ will know.)
> 
> That’s all for now – stay tuned for when the first party member comes in! (…and who am I kidding, you probably already know who it’ll be. I mean, come on, they have the perfect job lined up for them here…)


	4. The Luckster and the Pop Sensation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through what can only be described as ‘luck shenanigans’, Makoto finds himself in a spot of trouble. Luckily for him, Usami knows where to find some assistance – one of his friends, even!
> 
> (But first, she needs to give them a job.)

**Easin Hills**

_I can’t do this! I can’t do this!_

As Makoto just so happens to have found out, being Level 1 does not help you when you’re facing off against more than one enemy at once. (You can blame his luck for that.) Henceforth, he was now running around in circles with two butterflies on his tail. Oh sure, he _tried_ to fight them with his newfound stick-whacking skills, but it turns out they were very effective at double-teaming. And Makoto was only one person. It was… actually a pretty sad event, to be honest. (Like, come on! Where was that triumphant hope from before?)

In any case, all he could really do was keep fleeing and hope that his luck would somehow turn the tables from here (you know, like Nagito! …n-no wait, that guy’s luck cycles are way too crazy). “Please, _please,_ let something good happen!” he pleaded to himself, already beginning to feel the fatigue of running for several minutes. “I don’t think I can take these guys by myself!”

For the moment, the only response he would get was the evil butterflies trying to screech in his face—but luckily for him (I’m gonna be saying that a lot, aren’t I?), a ‘something good’ _would_ in fact happen to save his skin (slash face)! Hallelujah! He’d, uhh… just need to give it a couple more minutes.

Or three. Or five. I dunno, you can never really tell with Lucksters nowadays.

Which means, we—that is, me and you—might be… sitting here for quite a while.

Mmm.

…

…

…so, you got any popcorn?

* * *

**Usami’s** **★ Miracle World™**

It was official.

Sayaka Maizono was lost.

Like, really, _really_ lost.

This statement was altogether not too surprising, considering that the weird blue-purple realm she was in now was clearly not the courtyard of Hope’s Peak Academy (or anywhere familiar, for that matter), nor was it the weird, idyllic fields she had been traversing five minutes ago.

“Seriously, can I get an explanation for what’s going on?” she sighed, resigning herself to the insanity that was her life now. “Or at least a lead to where Makoto is?”

She had spent the last half-hour-or-so wandering about, hoping to find the location of any of her friends (Makoto especially), but unfortunately, she had been coming up short. Very, very short. It didn’t help that she hadn’t found anybody in the meantime – the only things that had kept her company were the abnormally large butterflies and crickets. And singing a few songs to herself to break up the silence.

And now she was here, transported to literally the middle of nowhere. She didn’t even know how she got here, unlike the wormhole from earlier. A flash of light, and then, poof! “I really need an explanation. H-Hey!” she tried calling out. “Is anybody there?”

The sound of light, wobbly footsteps suddenly echoed through the area, getting a little louder with every step. _“O-Oop, hold on!”_ a saccharine, girly voice called back (you should know who it is). _“I’m coming, please give me a little time!”_

 _Who’s that?_ Sayaka wondered, her curiosity spiking. _I don’t remember anyone who would sound so… so sweet._ Heck, she didn’t even think it was _possible_ for anyone to sound so unironically sweet. What kind of octaves could this unknown person have? And how well could she sing if given the chance?

And then, running in from the distance, was the most _adorable little rabbit she’d **ever** seen._ It was something straight out of an _anime_ (and not one of Hifumi’s, thankfully), what with the _wings_ and the little _skirt_ and even the _bow atop her head_ and the only thing that was cuter in this universe was Makoto and—ahh, screw it! **_She had to hug it!_**

“Oh. My. God,” she vocalized, her eyes brightening and a big smile coming upon her face, “you’re just _soooo cute~!”_ As soon as the bunny hopped into range, Sayaka ran up and hugged her like it was due to be going out of style. It was just the _cutest mascot ever!_

 _“Hey, hey, hey, not too tight, not too tight!”_ the rabbit cried, wiggling around as best she could in Sayaka’s arms. _“I need to breathe too, you know!”_

“O-Oh, sorry!” The Pop Sensation unceremoniously let go of the rabbit, being plopped right back down onto the floor. “S-So… who are you, exactly?” she asked next. “I've never seen someone like you before.” _Actually,_ she thought, _I don't think I've ever seen a mascot in the world like you!_ (Which was an accomplishment, considering what mascot-type characters usually were like.)

 _“That's because a sweet little lady like me could never be recreated!”_ the bunny stated proudly. _“Because I'm Usami—Magical Miracle Girl_ _★ Usami!”_ Usami, as Sayaka now knew her, began bouncing up and down. _“And I'm here because Makoto needs your help!”_

“Wha—!?” _That_ got Sayaka paying attention. “Makoto needs my help!? W-Where!? Where is he!? What trouble is he in!?”

 _“Whoa, whoa, calm down!”_ Usami said, getting a little panicked herself. _“I know this is a heart-throbbing situation, and that you're reaaaaaally worried about Makoto, but I have to give you something first!”_

“…give me something?” What could possible take precedence over helping out her best friend?

_“Love, love! I have to give you a **job**!”_

Sayaka's face immediately went deadpan in confusion. “A… job…?” she slowly pronounced. “What do you mean?”

 _“You see, in the world of Miitopia—” Miitopia, huh? Is that the name of this place?_ Sayaka filed away that information for later. _“—you need special powers in order to fight monsters and save people! We call that a job! And I have the power to give you those powers with my Magic Stick!”_ Usami then proceeded to whip out said ‘Magic Stick' from behind her back, its tip shining brightly despite the already bright surroundings of the area. _“Just tell me when and I'll get righhhhhht to it!”_

Sayaka stared at the wand for a bit, before deciding to just go with the flow (as Yasuhiro would probably do). _Today's been weird enough,_ she decided. _I'll just take whatever gets me to Makoto faster._ “Alright,” she said aloud, her face resolute. “Give me this job and send me to Makoto. If he needs my help, then I'll be there to help him!”

 _“Wow! Your hope and dedication… that's something that even I can't aspire to! Okay! It's decided!”_ Usami raised her Magic Stick high. _“I'm gonna give you the job that suits you the best! Here we go! Bibidi bobidi, bibidi bobidi… **BOOOOOO!”**_

Pink orbs filled the air (as is probably going to become custom)—which actually didn't look half-bad against the transcendent background, in Sayaka’s opinion—and a gigantic flash of light went off, utterly blinding the both of them. When it finally died down, Sayaka's entire outfit had changed. Her Hope's Peak uniform had disappeared, and in its place was a stereotypical cyan-colored pop star outfit, combined with a giant Minnie Mouse-styled bow on her head. (Her trademark pink ribbon, however, remained where it had been.) It was actually rather plump and fluffy compared to the dress she normally wore with her idol friends… but she'd worn much weirder. She could handle this.

“So…” she started saying, plucking at her new outfit in curiosity, “how exactly is this supposed to help me help Makoto?” Then she noticed the microphone that had inexplicably materialized in her other hand. “And where did this mic come from?”

 _“No time to talk now!”_ Usami interrupted the Pop Sensation-turned-Pop Star(—wait, those two are the exact same thing—), her arms flailing about. _“I gotta get you to Makoto now!”_ Without warning, another wormhole appeared in front of Sayaka, and the little bunny pushed her into it. _“I'll explain everything to you later, but you gotta go now! In you go!”_

“H-Hey, wait! Don't push so hard!” Sayaka attempted to protest—but Usami surprisingly had a lot of force packed into that tiny, plushy body. (About time we started wrapping up things here anyway, I'm not sure Makoto can handle things much longer by himself.)

* * *

**Easin Hills**

A few minutes had passed (since I finished all my popcorn, anyway), and Makoto had abandoned his tactic of running around in a circle for running away in a straight line. I'm… pretty sure he could've thrashed at least one of the butterflies by this point, but whatever, I can tell this is going to make a great scene set-up.

And judging by the fact that Sayaka's wormhole conveniently appeared right in front of Makoto's path, I was right! The Ultimate Pop Sensation stumbled from the portal right after, shaking her head as she got her bearings. “You didn't have to be so pushy with me…!” she complained. She looked around. “Hey, this was where I just was!” she realized. “W-Wait, then that means, Makoto must be—!”

She didn't get the chance to finish her statement, as another person accidentally slammed into her.

“A-Ahh!”

“W-Whoa!”

The two figures rolled around for a bit before falling to the floor in a mess. “T-That kinda hurt…” Sayaka admitted, rubbing her head a little. “…huh?”

When Sayaka sat up from her place on the floor, she noticed a familiar figure lying down next to her—Makoto! It was him; her Luckster!

“Makoto!” Quickly, she rushed to the boy's side, helping him sit up from the floor. “A-Are you okay!?” she asked, shaking him a little. “You’re not hurt, are you!?”

“O-Oww… What… What hit me…?” Makoto shook his head, getting rid of his confused state (I'd be confused too, if I somehow stumbled onto someone I didn't see before while running my ass away), before his eyes were drawn to Sayaka beside him. His face lit up. “S-Sayaka!” he exclaimed. “You’re here!” He sounded so overjoyed, and honestly, it was hard to blame him. That’s just how friendship is.

Slowly, the two returned to standing on their feet. Makoto looked relieved to have already found one of his friends. (You know what they say; the power of hope works after all!) “When did you get here? I didn’t think I’d find you here just like that.”

“This little rabbit—her name's Usami—came to me and told me you were in trouble and needed help,” Sayaka explained. “She was a little short, wore a skirt and some wings—oh, and she had a Magic Stick on her back…”

“Oh, you met Usami too? Yeah, she's, uhh… pretty weird. She said something about going on a ‘heart-throbbing adventure’ and ‘Magical Miracle Girl powers’…” Makoto scratched the back of his head. “I didn't really get it. But I’m glad you’re here now. I was worried about you, you know?”

Sayaka giggled. “I was too,” she admitted. (A little part of her was a little ecstatic at that statement, saying _‘Yes! I’ve got Makoto all to myself!’,_ but she tried her best to ignore it. Whether or not it was succeeding is up to anyone’s guess.) “Hey… You know, I’m not really seeing any of the trouble that Usami was talking about. Did you get yourself out of that already?”

Two simultaneous screeching noises screamed out behind the duo. “Heh heh… Uhh, about that…” Makoto nervously chuckled. Sayaka turned her head to where the weird noises had come from… only to find two of those abnormally large crystal butterflies fluttering behind the duo. And also they had _eyeballs_ on their _wings._ Admittedly, that _did_ look like trouble.

“W-What is that!?” Sayaka exclaimed. Vaguely, she remembered Usami offhandedly mentioning ‘monsters’, but… these weren’t anything she’d ever seen before – not even in any anime.

“T-Those were the things I was running away from them,” Makoto stated. “I tried to fight them, but…” He sweatdropped. “…I’m not exactly a powerhouse or anything… J-Just my luck, huh?”

 _“Don’t worry!”_ Beside them, Usami suddenly popped into view, briefly startling the both of them. _“You’ve got a friend now! With your new powers, you can take them on easily! Just swing your staff—”_ (“This is in no way a staff,” Makoto muttered. Looking at the stick he was holding, Sayaka was inclined to agree.) _“—and your mic, and save those faces from the clutches of evil! I know you can do it!”_

“Wait, wait, wait!” Sayaka was a little confused. And a little panicked. Like, what exactly was going on!? “What do you mean by ‘faces’!? And how exactly are we supposed to take these guys on!?”

Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to wrangle an answer out of Usami, for the evil butterflies interrupted her by swooping on in. “Okay, fine,” the Pop Sensation said. “I guess we’ll take care of them… somehow. What am I supposed to do, just swing toward them?” Sayaka demonstrated by vaguely swinging her mic in the direction of the butterflies, and was startled when both butterflies reeled back as if they had taken damage. Wait… if she looked a little closer, they actually _had_ taken damage.

“Huh?” Sayaka looked back at her mic in curiosity. “Did… Did I _do_ that?”

 _“That’s the power of a **Pop Star**!”_ Usami explained (…how was that an explanation?), cheering the two on from the sidelines. _“You can attack all enemies at once! But it won’t do as much damage as other jobs’ attacks, so you need to be careful!”_

That both explained a few things and didn’t explain anything, somehow. _But now’s not the time to worry about that!_ “Okay, I have actual psychic powers now,” Sayaka rationalized aloud. “That’s… That’s not the weirdest thing that’s happened today. I’ll take it.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I have healing powers now,” Makoto confided.

“Really?” _I wonder how warm those heals would be on me—no, no, I have to focus. Treat this like one of your performances! Top form!_ “That sounds like it really suits you.” She smiled warmly. “You’ve always been a sweet friend; I think it’s pretty natural.”

“Heh heh, really?” Makoto gave one of those nervous-but-happy smiles that Sayaka adored so much. And then a butterfly swooped in and hit him in the face. “O-Owwww!” he yelped, falling to the floor. _(“Oh no!”_ Usami helpfully squealed in the background.)

“Makoto!” Sayaka looked frightened for Makoto, who was… valiantly fighting off the butterfly (if by valiantly you mean flailing around his stick and praying he would hit something). And she just reunited with him, too!

“Don’t worry, I’m fine!” Makoto reassured her, though it wasn’t quite working as well as intended, considering he was saying that while being savaged by an enemy. “I can handle this, Sayaka! I’ll be okay!” He then proceeded to accidentally whack himself with his own stick.

…he’s trying, at least. _That doesn’t mean I can’t help!_ She spun around in a circle with her microphone sticking out, and she admitted to herself that it felt pretty great to watch the butterflies flinch with a satisfying ‘WHACK!’. The damage dealt to the butterfly attacking Makoto finally brought it down, and it wilted to the ground before bursting apart. Sayaka noted with interest how the eyes—which she remembered had been attached to it somehow—were now flying away to parts unknown. _Is that just how this world works?_

That unnatural screeching then reappeared, and Sayaka flipped around just in time to watch the _other_ butterfly diving in toward her. Without much time to do anything else, she brought up her two arms and attempted to guard. It… kinda helped, but the blow still hurt. “Oof!” she grunted, wincing at the pain she felt. It was a weird feeling, considering she almost never felt pain like that. And it kept trying to attack, too – _This is getting kinda annoying!_ she thought.

“Sayaka!” Makoto leaped back into the fray all dramatically (as dramatically as he could pull off, anyway) and whacked the butterfly hard with his stick, forcing the enemy to relent. Together, the two of them restarted their own attacks on the evil butterfly, and before long—it _was_ the equivalent of a Goomba, after all—it went down, down, down. Like its brethren before, it burst into light and freed the pair of eyes on it, and just like that, the battle (much more of a battle than the previous one, thankfully) had ended.

“Phew!” Makoto wiped some sweat from his forehead – hey, he’d been running for several straight minutes, give him a break. “We did it!” he cheered.

 _“You did it!”_ Usami agreed, looking proud at the duo for their efforts.

“Mmm, that wasn’t too bad!” Sayaka said. “I think we’ve got talent for this!” The Pop Sensation turned to Makoto. “Hey, you feeling alright, Makoto? Let me guess, you want to rest on your bed right now?”

Makoto blinked for a bit, before laughing lightly. “Yeah, actually. Heh heh… You always know what I’m thinking, Sayaka,” he said.

“Well, that’s because I’m psychic!” she smiled. “Hee hee, just kidding.”

It was a testament to these two’s strong friendship that they could joke around like this even after having witnessed some of the weirdest things they’d ever seen (and being separated for probably an hour under mysterious circumstances). It was a beautiful friendship, the type of which you’d probably only seen in fiction – and anime. Like, all the anime. Every single one of them. Come on, you know it’s true.

 _“Great work, you two!”_ Usami butted in, happily prancing around. _“You really showed those Rock Moths! I’m so proud of you!”_

(“Wait, those were moths?” Makoto asked. _Oh, Makoto.)_

“Okay, Usami.” _The battle’s over,_ Sayaka thought. _Time to get some answers._ “I think it’s time I got a bit of an explanation. What exactly is going on?”

 _“Oh, that’s a long, long story! But don’t worry! Magical Miracle Girl_ _★ Usami is here to explain everything! Well, you see…”_

* * *

What followed was some sort of bizarre story about a Dark Lord that wanted to steal people’s faces, of all things; said Dark Lord being the one to bring all of Class 78 through that wormhole (with Usami making sure ‘he couldn’t do it again’; when Sayaka asked for clarification, all she would say is that she used her magical powers, whatever that meant); Usami gifting Makoto the power of a Cleric (which again, really suited him)… It was like something out of a lucid dream. But when you’re a student of Hope’s Peak Academy, you learn to get used to weird stuff like this, and so Sayaka was able to take it in stride.

“That sounds rather horrifying,” the idol stated, her face showing a little bit of worry. “And you say only Makoto and I can stop this Dark Lord?”

 _“Yeeeeeeep!”_ Usami declared. _“That naughty Fiery can’t be allowed to make the people of Miitopia any sadder! So that’s why you guys and your friends have to stop him, because no one else can! If you can bring back hope to Miitopia, everyone will be happy again!”_

Sayaka turned to Makoto. “And you’re up to doing it, Makoto?” she asked him.

Makoto nodded determinedly. “I have to. I can’t just sit around while some guy’s trying to induce despair on everything. He might do his thing to our friends, too, and that would be unforgiveable. If I can help people out and give them hope, then I’ll do that with no regrets!” He held his ‘I’m-ready-to-do-this!’ pose for a few moments, before he dropped it in favor of looking nervous again. “H-Heh, I bet I… sounded kinda dumb there, huh?”

“No, no!” Sayaka denied. “I think it sounds great! It’s just like you to want to be a friend like that.” She nodded to herself. “It’s settled! I’ll come along with you as your Ultimate Teammate, and we’ll find our friends and save Miitopia!” _And maybe even get a little more along the way…_ another part of her thought.

“Heh heh… Glad to hear it!” Makoto smiled, and for the moment, it really did seem as everything would be alright. With the two Ultimates united, they knew they’d be able to find their friends and make things right!

 _“That sounds great!”_ Usami looked happy at the two’s declarations. _“And I’ll be with you guys too, supporting you along the way! I may not look it, but I’m a lady who knows a lot of things about Miitopia! And I wanna be with you when you guys bring hope back to everybody! So—let’s go! We can’t let that wicked Dark Lord get a headstart on us!”_ Abruptly, Usami grabbed the hands of both of them and started dragging them off beyond the Easin Hills. _“It’s time for our heart-throbbing adventure to begin!”_

“W-Whoa, w-wait!”

“H-Hey, slow down!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the order I have the main characters listed is the order of the party members I’m picking for this playthrough. (What can I say, I like planning out my parties beforehand.)
> 
> And so, to nobody’s surprise, Sayaka Maizono ended up being the first to join Makoto's party! In-game, I put down her personality as Energetic because of the general vibe she gives out during the little screentime she got in _Trigger Happy Havoc._ I’m sure there might be a more fitting personality type to pick (…maybe), but this is the one I’m going with, and I’m definitely not changing it now.
> 
> I kind of like Sayaka, despite everything that happened. She really did seem like a girl at the end of her wits, and it’s tragic how she and Makoto never really got to spend more time together. So, to make up for that, I ended up making her Makoto’s first partner. (And you can bet I’m going to adding as much Ship Tease as I can possibly give. So, so much Ship Tease.)
> 
> I’m also not going to be adapting _all_ of _Miitopia’s_ events into fic form, simply because I can’t be bothered to remember everything. The battles won’t be quite accurate to my gameplay, either, so… sorry about that. Don’t worry though, there’ll still be lampshading of gameplay elements, you can bet on that.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for more overall _Miitopia_ shenanigans! (And maybe another party member. We’ll see…)


	5. Usami Explains Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for the all-hated, all-required tutorial session – and who better to take the role as the tutorial guide than Usami? After all, Miitopia is quite the bizarre place, with mechanics just as out-of-this-world…

Every adventure has a learning phase – or, in video game terms, a tutorial phase. They simultaneously teach us the rules of the road while also annoying us with the fact that they exist at all. _‘Why?’_ we cry. _‘Why do I have to keep sitting through walls of text? Can’t I just get on with the game already?’_ And yet, without them, we would have barely any idea what we are supposed to do. What a paradox. Some tutorial phases last longer than others, and some teach their mechanics better than others, but no one can doubt that Makoto and Sayaka definitely needed a tutorial phase.

Every tutorial is also dealt with in their own way—be it subtle or very, _very_ in-your-face (I’m looking at you, _Dream Team)_ —and for Makoto and Sayaka, that way happened to include their so-called ‘guardian spirit’, Usami. For she was well-versed in all the wacky gamey mechanics Miitopia had to offer, and was set to be their tour guide for the foreseeable future—as writing her as an eternally disembodied voice would be kind of dumb.

The Ultimate duo didn’t expect just _how_ wacky and gamey this adventure would end up being, however. And that’s where we pick back up in our tale of crack today. (Hey, that doesn’t sound half-bad! I should use that phrase again sometime…)

* * *

**Easin Hills**

The first sign of weirdness happened not ten minutes after they finished their first fight.

I would say it was the first clue this adventure would be weird, but if the last three chapters of this story didn’t tell you anything, then I’m sorry, I can’t help you.

Anyway, the weird thing that happened this time, was that Makoto and Sayaka stumbled upon something strange: a banana.

No, really. Right in the center of their path was a banana.

An ordinary, ripe banana.

Just sitting out in the middle of nowhere.

Just like that.

“Why,” Sayaka asked, a little flabbergasted, “is there a banana in the middle of the road?”

 _“Oh no!”_ Usami, upon catching sight of the fruit, ran over and quickly picked it off the floor. _“Someone went littering! Littering is a big ‘no-no’ – especially for something as important as an **HP Banana**! It’s a good thing it didn’t get dirty while it was on the floor like that! Whoever dropped it needs to be spanked!”_

“But why would a banana be important?” Makoto inquired, confused. “It’s… It’s just a banana, isn’t it?”

 _“This isn’t just any ordinary banana!”_ Usami stated. She held it up proudly (after giving it a good scrub with a convenient handkerchief). _“This is an HP Banana! It has special healing properties that can restore your health in an instant! It’s always important to have a few on hand in case you really need them!”_

 _“Ohhhh,_ so it’s like a video game,” Makoto realized. “I get it now!”

Sayaka, being the less game-versed of the duo (being an idol didn’t exactly translate well into gaming, and Makoto, for his part, interacted with both Chihiro and Hifumi quite often), remained a tad bit more confused. “But… couldn’t we just rely on Makoto’s healing instead?” she saw fit to question. “He _does_ have that power now – he did it just five minutes ago.” It was as a bit of a test, seeing as the two of them had gotten a little roughed up in the fight beforehand.

 _“You could, but then what would happen if he got knocked out?”_ Sayaka winced (and so did Makoto) – that was something she hadn’t taken into account. _“Then everyone else would be in deep trouble! So that’s why keeping a supply of them is very, very important indeed! And you can’t forget about **MP Candies** , too. They can restore your MP—that’s Magic Points!—so that you can keep using your special powers, like healing!”_

“I see now,” the Pop Sensation said, adopting a thinking pose. “That makes sense.” Minus the whole ‘MP’ part, but she got the gist of things – people only had so much energy to act; Sayaka and her idol group couldn’t perform every night. And neither could Makoto spend every single minute of his time with his friends.

 _“And the best part is—the more you eat, the better they’ll heal you!”_ the rabbit suddenly revealed.

“Wait, huh?” Makoto hadn’t expected that. “But… how does _that_ work?”

 _I don’t think she knows,_ Sayaka thought.

 _“I don’t know!”_ Usami proudly declared. _(Still got it,_ Sayaka smiled.) _“All I know is, it has something to do with the magic of Miitopia. All adventurers here learn to value Bananas and Candies, so you guys should too! Mmm, they’re so delicious and sweet…”_ And now the self-proclaimed Magical Girl was looking hungrily at the HP Banana still in her hands.

“Ooooooo-kay!” Quickly, Makoto stole the HP Banana from Usami before she could devour it whole. _(Do bunny rabbits even eat bananas?_ he briefly wondered.) “The banana’s important, duly noted. So I guess I’ll keep it with me, then.” The Luckster opened up his pocket, and was surprised at how easily the banana fit in. “H-Huh?” He dug around and found out that his pocket depth had dramatically increased. Like, by a lot. It was almost comical. “Whoa, it’s huge in here!”

Curious, Sayaka stuck a hand into her pocket and found out a similar fact. “…oh wow, it _is_ huge in here. I didn’t think there could be this much space in an outfit like this.” She looked at Usami. “Is this your doing too, Usami?”

_“Yep! That’s another part of my powers! Now you can store all the items and equipment you need! You won’t even need a bag! Oh, the wonders of adventuring!”_

_I’ve only known you for almost an hour and you surprise us every second,_ Sayaka noted. Out loud, she replied, “Well, that’s a good thing! That means that we’ll have more room for that curry you like, Makoto.”

“H-Huh?” As usual, Makoto looked a little startled by Sayaka’s response. “H-How’d you—right. Psychic.”

She giggled. “You know me so well.”

He really did. (They were best friends, after all.)

* * *

A Goblin and a Rock Moth walk into a field.

I realize that sounds like the beginning of a joke (a probably bad one at that), but here in Miitopia, it was a typical reality. In Greenhorne, at least.

The fight began—as usual—with Makoto whacking the Goblin on the nose. (It’s not like he had any other abilities to use. You think he wants to heal the _enemies?)_ This was followed up by Sayaka swinging her mic and the two monsters taking damage, and this comfortable rhythm (excluding getting hit) continued on for a while. I won’t bore you with the exquisite details, but suffice to say, Makoto and Sayaka were really getting into the swing of things.

It helped that the Dark Lord seemed to be throwing _only_ the lowest-leveled enemies at them, too.

“I think we work pretty well as a team,” Makoto commented, committing the finishing blow onto the Goblin he was facing, which noticeably had quite a few red marks on it from all the damage it had taken. “We’re like, the Ultimate Tag-Team!”

 _Why does that sound so beautiful?_ “I guess that means I’m doing a great job as your Ultimate Partner!” Sayaka suggested, handily delivering another invisible slash toward the Rock Moth (doing that, admittedly, still felt a little weird). As the moth spiraled down from loss of health – a real savage loss, really – she commented, “You know, I am feeling a little different now than I was a couple of moments ago.”

“Me too,” Makoto added on, the Goblin behind him dispersing away. “My Cure ability actually came after I defeated another enemy. What do you think it means?”

 _“It means that you’re growing!”_ Usami chimed in from the sidelines. _“As you fight enemies, you’ll gain experience and level up!”_ Yeah, this was definitely sounding more and more like a video game every minute. _“And when you level up, you become stronger and learn new powers! Sayaka here should’ve learned the ‘ **Encore** ’ ability now!”_

“Encore?” Said Pop Sensation looked a little more interested now. I would too; using Bros. Attacks becomes quite a pain without some lesson (that is thankfully optional and not slow-paced) teaching you them. “What’s that do?”

 _“It’s an ability that allows somebody to act very quickly after they’ve already acted!”_ Usami explained—though that sounded much more vague than intended. _“You can use it on anyone, as long as you have the MP to use it! All you need to do is point your mic at them and shout, **‘Encore!’** ” _Usami mock-performed the action herself to demonstrate. _“Isn’t magic just wonderful?”_

“That… _does_ sound useful,” Sayaka stated, “if a bit weird. How are we supposed to keep track of our MP—and HP—anyway? I can’t imagine we’d just _know_ when it’s low.”

“Sayaka’s right,” Makoto agreed, a finger to his chin. “Just because we’ll _feel_ a little tired doesn’t mean we’ll know how _much_ we’re tired.” It was surprising how perceptive he could be despite his average demeanor. “It’s not like we have any way of seeing that for ourselves, like a video game…”

 _“Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot!”_ Usami raised her wand into the sky, shouting _“Bibidi bobidi, bibidi bobidi!”_ , as she was prone to doing with her spells. (Is every one of her spells like that? Like, seriously?) Something glowed from within the two Ultimates’ pockets – felt quite tingly, too – and that ‘something’ happened to be their **e-Handbooks** , which Makoto discovered by pulling it out. The screen had turned on to reveal that some new functions had been added – next to stuff like Map (of Hope’s Peak), Rules & Regulations, and Truth Bullets (Makoto still didn’t know what _that_ was about, and neither did the rest of Class 78), there was now **Party** , **Records** , and… **Stuff**. How apt.

“What’s this?” The Luckster tapped the ‘Party’ function and discovered profile listings for both him and Sayaka – displaying their abilities, current stat values, relationships (which was currently blank). “Are these profiles for us?” he asked, confused. And here he thought things couldn’t be gamey enough as they were. Sayaka looked over his shoulder.

“Hey, that’s weird… I don’t have the Party part,” she mentioned. She brought up her own e-Handbook, which only displayed her own profile information. “What’s this supposed to be? I know our e-Handbooks have ‘report cards’ for all of us, but this is new.”

Thankfully, Usami had an explanation up and ready to go. _“That’s so you guys can check up on your HP and MP, as you said you wanted to do! You can also change your equipment, look at your abilities, and more! It’s right there with a tap of the screen!”_ (Man, I wish _my_ phone could get new apps just like that. I hate fictional futuristic technology.)

Curious, Sayaka tapped into her own abilities and read what showed up for Encore.

 **Encore  
** After a friend’s turn, cheer for an encore, giving them an extra turn.

“That… doesn’t quite sound like what you told me, Usami,” Sayaka noticed. _What does ‘turn’ mean?_

 _“Oopsie!”_ Usami looked a little embarrassed. _“I forgot to change that for the real-deal version of Miitopia! Silly me!”_ Briefly, the two Ultimates wondered, _‘Real-deal version?’,_ but they didn’t exactly have any knowledge to figure that out. (That’s what I get, I suppose, for just copy-and-pasting.) With another wave of the bunny’s wand, the information was properly updated.

 **Encore  
** Give a friend the ability to perform an extra action immediately after another.

 _“There we go! Now it should be reading the right way!”_ she exclaimed. _“As for the ‘Party’ thing… I’ve taken it upon myself to make Makoto the leader! Leaders need to be able to view all their teammates’ status at once, so that’s why his e-Handbook has that capability!”_

“Wai—huh!?” Makoto looked rather startled. “M-Me?” he pointed to himself. “T-The leader?”

“That makes sense!” Sayaka said. “You’re the one that holds together all of Class 78; it’s only natural that’d you make a great leader!”

“I-I d-dunno, I’m not sure that—”

“—you’d make a great leader?” the Pop Sensation finished for him. She smiled warmly. “Makoto, you’re one of the best people I know. I _know_ you’ll be able to lead me and the rest of us, when we find them, on this journey. It’s like you say – you just need to have a little hope!”

 _“What she said!”_ Usami chimed in. _“You should never give up hope on anything!”_

“W-Well, i-if it’s you saying that,” Makoto replied, “I-I’ll give it my best shot!” Sayaka’s inner crush-focused girl squealed in delight as he said that—it seemed to be doing that a lot more nowadays, she wondered why? (A-Achoo! J-Jeez, did I catch something? I thought you’re only supposed to sneeze when you’re mentioned…) Ah well, it’s Makoto! She’d be happy either way. “A-At least now,” he tacked on, “we won’t be lost on everything now!”

“It _would_ be a bad thing if that happened,” Sayaka agreed. She turned to their little partner. “Thanks, Usami.”

 _“You’re welcome! Aww, I’ve never been thanked like that before!”_ Usami was looking happy, smiling a little brighter than she did before. _“I’m glad I have the chance to be your mentor here in Miitopia!”_ Just then, she noticed a slice of Goblin Ham inexplicably just sitting on the floor. _“Oh—look! It’s some Goblin Ham! These are always very tasty!”_ She ran over to it, picking it up before dancing and prancing around while holding it up high, seemingly oblivious to the WTFery of her actions. Makoto and Sayaka looked at each other in confusion – and maybe a bit of amusement.

 _Things certainly can’t get any stranger than they are right now,_ they both thought.

* * *

Somehow, nighttime had arrived, despite the fact that it hadn’t _felt_ like a lot of time had passed. Makoto commented, “It’s night already? I didn’t know so much time had passed already.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re so tired from everything that’s happened,” Sayaka suggested. “Or maybe it’s just Miitopia being weird again. Honestly, either one could apply in our situation.” It said a lot about them that they were already used to Miitopia after just one day – which, of course, meant Hope’s Peak was a hell of a weird place, too. I’ve got an example for you: Gundham Tanaka from Class 77-B once tried to get some Reserve Course students to participate in one of his strange rituals. (He failed, by the way, because Natsumi Kuzuryu was included in that batch, and let’s just say Fuyuhiko didn’t take that well. Chiaki—alongside Hajime—spent a long time fixing _that_ mess.)

“Well, I _do_ feel a little tired…” Makoto admitted. “But we don’t have any tents or sleeping bags. We got sucked into that portal so quickly, we didn’t have a chance to prepare anything for this adventure.” That, of course, meant that they were going to have to sleep on the grass or something unless they could find better accommodations. And given that they were nowhere near any towns – in fact, the only town nearby was Greenhorne Village for whatever bizarre geographical reason _(somebody_ got lazy in the town department today) – the latter wasn’t an option.

I always wondered what adventurers had to deal with for sleeping. I mean, do you ever see Mario pulling out a tent during _The Thousand-Year Door?_ Sure, you could argue that there are the camping items from _Kingdom Hearts II,_ but those don’t exactly count—

“So that means we’re going to have to be sleeping on the ground,” Sayaka deduced. (Hey, she interrupted me! How rude.) “I’m… not looking forward to that.” She shuddered, holding her arms together. Yeah, I can’t imagine that’d be comfortable either.

“Too bad we don’t have a tent or anything,” the Luckster lamented. I remember when Komaru and I went on a few camping trips together with my parents. Those were fun times… well, except for the time we accidentally encountered a bear…” Makoto spent a few more moments reminiscing before Usami’s voice jolted him out of it.

 _“Hey, guys, look!”_ She was hopping up and down, a finger pointed right in front of the trio. An arch with two shining lampposts stood before them, and behind that was a fairly large inn, accompanied by the sign ‘INN’ at the top of it. (Yes, yes, I get it, it’s an inn!) _“It’s an inn!”_ (And you didn’t have to repeat that!)

“Wow, how convenient!” Sayaka remarked, her face brightening. It was almost as if it was placed there specifically for this type of situation!

“I guess that means we don’t have to sleep on the ground,” Makoto said.

 _“There are empty inns like this everywhere in Miitopia for adventurers!”_ Usami explained. _“Come on, let’s go inside! It’s been a looooooong day, after all! You should **always** get a good night’s sleep of at least eight hours every day! Love, love!”_ The little bunny pranced on forward, skipping merrily, looking as if she were excited for a party or something like that.

“Well, let’s go follow her,” Sayaka said. “I think we deserve a good rest – how about you, Makoto?”

“O-Oh, y-yeah!” Makoto replied. “Let’s go!”

* * *

**Easin Hills – Inn**

_“Welcome to your first inn!”_ Usami proclaimed, her eyes opened up wide. And indeed, the inn was fairly expansive for a building that looked so abandoned – like, seriously, you never _see_ anyone cleaning up the place besides the adventurers – sporting two beds in the large, main room, and two bedrooms on each side of the inn. There were some decent accommodations, too – beds (of course), counters, a dinner table, a refrigerator, restrooms, all the works. Overall, it wasn’t half-bad for a place that looked fairly medieval.

“Wow!” Makoto and Sayaka both looked around in awe. It wasn’t anything spectacular like Hope’s Peak, but it was something maybe Byakuya would bat an eye at. (For, like, a split second.) “I didn’t know this was just… sitting out here,” Makoto said, a little amazed. “Who built this place?”

_“These inns have just been a natural part of Miitopia for thousands of years! Nobody knows who made them, and nobody knows who upkeeps them – they’re just here. But I think it’s a wonderful thing; a little piece of hope for alllllll~ the adventurers who need it! There’s even a handy-dandy teleporting function so you can go to past inns you’ve visited, too!”_

“Teleporting?” Sayaka inquired.

Usami directed her attention to a nearby terminal attached to the walls – for some reason, it looked like a classical Game Boy Advance, with a label close by saying ‘Imported from Glitzville’. (Jeez; they’re two whole generations behind!) _“If you register your e-Handbooks to them, you’ll be able to utilize to teleport to past inns as long as you’re in an inn! Here, let’s register you guys! Just hold your e-Handbook up to the screen!”_

Makoto did so, and a scanner—looking a lot like a robot arm, for some reason—suddenly came out of the walls and gazed eerily at the e-Handbook. The Luckster squeaked a bit—sounded rather adorable, actually—prompting Sayaka to bring out her mic to defend her friend. Fortunately, the scanner seemed to have its fill of things, as it descended back into the wall after a little bit, the GBA’s screen turning on to say in pixelated text, _‘e-Handbook registered. Welcome, Class 78 of Hope’s Peak Academy.’_

 _“Annnnnnnnnd… congratulations!”_ Usami cheered. _“You officially registered your first inn! This is a wonnnnnnnderful day!”_ She was waving her arms up and down, despite the relatively mundane action that had been taken. _“This is cause for a little celebration!”_ The little bunny proceeded to skip right toward the dining table. _“We have just the food, too!”_

On the table—which had enough room to seat ten, by the way—she placed a plate of Slime Jelly (obtained from the Bowser Jr. Slime) and Goblin Ham close to the seats, in addition to basic eating utensils. To the two Ultimates, she added, _“Eating grub in Miitopia can also make you stronger! Eat enough, and you’ll be able to boost your stats in HP, MP, and more! You can tell which will give you which by checking the Records section in your e-Handbook!”_

 _…that’s not too surprising, honestly,_ Makoto thought. “I guess I _am_ kind of hungry,” he noted aloud. “I’ll try the slime-looking one.” The Cleric walked over to the table and sat down.

“I’ll take the meat, then!” Sayaka said. “A little bit of meat won’t hurt my diet too much.”

 _“Oh, you won’t need to worry about diets!”_ Usami responded. _“Food in Miitopia is always perfectly good for your health, and won’t even make you any fatter than normal! I eat a lot of grub and I’m still a perfectly slim lady! Now that’s what I call great food!”_

As the Luckster and Pop Sensation dug in – and boy, does that food look rather tasty from up here – they made some light conversation. “This isn’t all too bad,” Sayaka acknowledged, which was much to her own surprise. “I’m usually can’t be big on meats, so this is something welcome.”

“Because you’re an idol, right?” Makoto recalled a similar conversation he’d had with Sayaka before. It had been pretty surprising, learning the idol world wasn’t quite as glamorous as it appeared to be. (That’s public perception for ‘ya!) “Maybe this’ll be a great opportunity then!” he stated excitedly. “You can try out new foods and see new things! Us and all of our friends, too! …w-wherever they are.”

Sayaka grinned. “You think that Byakuya, or Toko, or Junko, or ‘Hiro can handle the stuff we’ve seen? You know what they’re like.”

“Well…” Makoto sweatdropped. “…maybe it wouldn’t be so great for them…”

* * *

Elsewhere…

“Okay, that’s it,” Byakuya grumbled, his arms crossed and his eye sporting a tick. He was pretty annoyed… and for good reason.

For before him stood what was quite literally the middle of nowhere (that’s what we call a desert nowadays, right?), with very little in the way of actual people or towns to be seen. That wouldn't have been bad on its own, but he had been walking for practical hours at this point.

There was only one thing to say.

“Where. The hell. Am I?”

* * *

He already knew how’d they react: Byakuya and Junko would have immense trouble adapting; Toko would be hostile toward everyone and everything; and ‘Hiro… would be ‘Hiro. (Just a reminder, _‘I told you aliens were real!’_ were his first words at the portal.) “…but, still! T-They’d get used to it, eventually! I mean, we’re already used to it! …kinda!” Another nervous smile appeared on his face— _Still so adorable,_ Sayaka thought—but it was clear his heart was in the right place. “I, uh, do hope we find some of our other friends first, though.”

“Yeah… I wonder where Leon and Mukuro are. Oh, and Kyoko too.” Those were the three Makoto and Sayaka knew the best – were they alright, safe from Dark Lord Fiery’s hands? The duo hoped so. “…I bet Leon would be pretty lost here,” the Pop Sensation remarked with a giggle. “Can you imagine him trying to take on a Rock Moth by himself?”

A picture appeared in Makoto’s mind. He chuckled himself. “No, not really.”

This got him thinking – and he turned to Usami. “Hey, Usami,” he started. “You said you could find where everyone else is, right?”

“Wait, really?” Sayaka was perking up now. “You know where they are?”

 _“Welllllllll… Actually…”_ Usami twiddled her fingers together. _“It’s gonna take me a while to locate everybody and bring them here. I may be magical, but my powers have limits, too – especially with everything that naughty Dark Lord has done! Love, love!”_

The two Ultimates wilted a little in disappointment. “Aw, really?”

“That’s… That’s a little bad…”

 _“B-But don’t worry!”_ she rushed to assure them. _“I promise you I’ll find everyone as fast as I could! Or my name isn’t Magical Miracle Girl_ _★ Usami!”_ She stood back upright with her wand out in her hand. For a moment, the Luckster could imagine a fancy, colorful background highlighting her resolve. A record scratch went off in his brain. _W-Wait, where’d **that** thought come from?_ he internally asked himself.

“You’re thinking about an anime background again, aren’t you?” Sayaka teased.

“H-Hey! It… It kinda fits!” he defended. “Magical Girls… have that type of stuff… right?”

“Oh, Makoto. Never change.”

* * *

Eventually, dinner—the closest thing to dinner, anyway—came to a close, and it was time for typical, tranquil, nighttime-y things to occur. Usami had rushed the two Ultimates over to one of the nearby inn rooms, telling them “Staying in a room together will help increase the power of your bonds!” and “Don’t do anything shameful when I’m not looking now!”, the latter of which got them spluttering quite hilariously as they tried to dispute it (Too bad _you_ can’t see it! Ha ha!).

Now Makoto and Sayaka were laying down in bed—for a fairly old-fashioned inn, the mattress and bedsheets were pretty comfortable, not to mention the fairly furnished rooms—ready to end what had definitively been one of the weirdest and longest days of their lives. (Enough to last a prologue and four chapters, even!) “Man, today was _crazy—_ huh, Sayaka?” Makoto stated, laying down beneath the blanket. “I wonder what the rest of this adventure will be like, if today was anything to go by.”

“I don’t think it’ll be too bad,” Sayaka replied. “It’ll be long, but… something tells me it’ll be worth it. I’m already feeling pretty good about everything – tomorrow should be just as good, too.”

“Heh. If you say so, then… things will be alright. We’ll hope, and we’ll make it.” The sheets on Makoto’s bed ruffled a bit as he turned over. “Good night, Sayaka.”

The Pop Sensation smiled, reaching over to her right to turn off the lamp by her bed counter. “Good night, Makoto.”

With that, the first day of this adventure drew to a close. It’s about time; I honestly didn’t think it’d take this long just to go through the first level. _I_ could go faster than that… probably. Maybe. (Okay, I probably can't.) And since these guys won’t be waking up for several hours, I can get back to procrastinating and doing whatever I want again to my heart’s content.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Killing Harmony to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am adapting a quirky, Mii-based, very-video-gamey RPG; and even with the ‘Mii’ part of the game downplayed, it’d be remiss of me not to include some of the weird things _Miitopia_ sports. So hence, a chapter based all around tutorials. And lucky for me, I have a character perfectly suited to the role of tutorial master. Sure, the in-game Miis take things in stride because that’s how they are, but even Class 78 needs a little more than ‘just because.’
> 
> I like how _Miitopia_ lampoons some of the typical adventuring tropes – restoration items, status effects, convenient inns, etc. And the fact that it does that helps to heighten _Miitopia’s_ overall tone of ‘we’re quirky and we know it.’ In the future, I want to see if I can recreate some of that lampshading – but we’ll see.
> 
> I have no idea how the **Encore** ability (give a party member an extra turn) would be adapted to real fights, so I’ll translate it into something akin to lag-canceling in fighting games. After all, a turn-based battle system wouldn’t really work unless I want to be super gamey, and that’s not the type of fic I’m going for.
> 
> The crack humor factor is a bit more subdued for this one, but there’s not a whole lot I can do for that, given that I have to focus on tutorials for this chapter. But don’t worry; we’ll get back to simple chaos with Makoto and friends next chapter.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now. Next time, Makoto and Sayaka fight yet another oversized butterfly and encounter another familiar friend! See you then.


	6. It’s Time to Butterfly or Die, Guys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Sayaka meet up with another one of their friends, go through some more tutorial business, and fight against an oversized butterfly—though not necessarily in that order.
> 
> _(Now that I think about it… it’s going to be quite a while before we’ll get out of Greenhorne, huh?)_

**Easin Hills – Inn**

The sun was shining through the windows of the inn, signaling the beginning of the second day of this crazy adventure – which is all I can really bothered to keep track of, really. (Next day can be the fourth day for all I care.) The streaking light alone probably would’ve been enough to wake Makoto and Sayaka from their slumber – but a little bunny appeared to think more was needed.

 _“Gooooooood morning, everybody!”_ Usami’s cheerful voice exclaimed from the doorway, her figure jumping into the room with her arms stretched into the air. _“It’s time for another fannnnnnntastic day in Miitopia to begin!”_

Makoto, being a light sleeper, awoke to this fairly easily. And—being a Luckster with bipolar luck—he fell off the bed as a result (yay, anime!). “W-Whoa!” he yelped, his face colliding with the ground. This, in combination with Usami’s exclamations, had the side-effect of also waking up Sayaka. She shot up, her head twirling to look in Makoto’s direction. “Makoto? Are you alright?” she asked.

Makoto held a thumbs-up sign into the air. “I’m alright!” he assured her. “Just… Just a little surprised, that’s all.” Well… that was good, at least.

The two of them then turned their heads toward Usami, who was still smiling widely. _“You two woke up easily!”_ she commented. _“That’ll make things easier!”_

“What’s going on, Usami?” Sayaka asked the bunny, getting out of bed. Beside her, Makoto was similarly getting up from his place on the floor (somehow, his ahoge remained sticking up on his head). She briefly looked outside; she could see the sun shining through the open window. “It’s still pretty early in the day to be getting up…”

 _“There’s still a lot of stuff I have to teach you if you’re going to be adventuring in Miitopia!”_ Usami said. _“Besides, it’s always best for people to wake up early so that they can make the best out of every day!”_ (I’m guessing that explanation doesn’t exactly cover ‘for school’, though.) _“I’ll meet you downstairs! Remember to brush your teeth and wash your face!”_ And with that, Usami bounded back out of the room and down the stairs. She exited so quickly that it was almost like she hadn’t been there in the first place.

“…that was pretty fast,” Makoto noted. (…I just said that.) “Man…” Makoto glanced out the window himself, the idyllic fields of the Easin Hills looking back at him. They stretched out far and wide, once more indicating that yes—this was their reality now. “It’s hard to believe that yesterday wasn’t just a dream. We really _are_ in a new world, with these new powers.” He whipped out his cruddy battle stick again, just to make sure it was real too.

“It is pretty out-there, huh?” Sayaka agreed. “I can’t think of anything weirder that we could’ve been thrown into.” And I can think of several more right off the top of my head. Like your source material, for example. “I can’t wait to really begin travelling with you.” She nodded to herself. “We should go get ready for the day,” she then stated. “I’ll get started first.” Swiftly, the Pop Sensation set toward the bathroom nearby, and Makoto, being the passive Luckster he was, let her go first.

“Okay,” he said. “I can wait!”

…he has no idea how much waiting he’s gonna have to do, is he?

* * *

Several minutes later, the party of two were in the lobby of the inn, in front of the out-of-date Game Boy Advance still plastered to the wall. It’s honestly still baffling they don’t have an actual tablet there. I mean, come on… “So what did you want to show us, Usami?” Makoto asked.

 _“Weeeeeeeeell… There’s more to these devices than just teleportation!”_ she cheerfully told them. With her hands tapping at the D-Pad and buttons, she brought up a menu – with the three centermost (and therefore most important) functions being **Food** , **Shop** , and **Arcade**. _“The Food function allows you to get free food without having to use up your supply of grub! It’s an easy way to keep yourself nice and full—oh, but they don’t give you any stat boosts.”_

“Well, that’s convenient,” Makoto noted. “It really sounds like—”

“—something out of a video game?” Sayaka finished for him, in her typical psychic-esque fashion. At this point, it was becoming incredibly obvious, even to her. “That seems to be a running theme here, I suppose.”

Continuing her explanation, Usami stated, _“The Shop allows you to buy new equipment and items with the gold you get!”_ She kept working the machine until it brought up a list of items. The only thing on the list, however, were just a bunch of HP Bananas. (That may be a good thing for now, though.) _“The shop changes inventory every day, so make sure to check it every time you come to an inn! And always make sure to have a healthy supply of HP Bananas and MP Candies! Here, I’ll get one for you!”_

Usami proceeded to keep interacting with the Game Boy Advance until an HP Banana magically and mysteriously dropped onto the floor in front of them out of nowhere. Makoto picked up off the floor – and for a moment, imagined a ‘Da-na-na-naaaaa~!’ to triumphantly play in the background. “…how do these just keep appearing again?” Makoto felt like asking.

 _“Magiccccccc teleportation!”_ Usami joyfully replied.

 _…that’s the closest to an actual answer we’ll be getting,_ Sayaka realized. _I guess I’ll take it._

(Whatever! Free healing food is free healing food! Don’t question it!)

 _“And finally,”_ she began to conclude, _“the Arcade allows you to either spin a roulette or win more gold! The roulette has a variety of items to win – equipment, food, items, you can win them easily here! And you can play Rock-Paper-Scissors—”_ (Didn’t we get enough of this with Super Roshambo in _Color Splash?) “—against a nice robot to win gold! But you need at least one **Game Ticket** in order to play, so always make sure you have them too!”_ That explanation was barely legible for those who weren’t already well-versed in video game sensibilities, but at least it got… some of the job done.

“Rock-Paper-Scissors seems like a weird way to win gold,” Sayaka noted. “Wouldn’t there normally be something more complex? I mean… this is something Mondo and Kiyotaka play all the time.” Often with Chihiro cheering the duo on, too. Those three seriously had one of the strongest bonds of friendship around. A true Power Trio (of sorts. That _is_ how the trope goes, right?).

Usami shrugged. _“That’s just how things work here in Miitopia! Now, let’s go have some breakfast! There’s another device just like this in the dining room!”_ The bunny once more bounded off to a different location – maybe it was just them, but Makoto and Sayaka could’ve sworn that she was somehow _more_ energetic than she had been the previous day. (Oh, the wonders sleeping can do for you!)

“Well, I am a little hungry,” Makoto admitted. “I could do with maybe some curry.”

“Alright, then!” Sayaka said. “Let’s get some curry!”

* * *

**Easin Hills**

Some more minutes passed—during which the Ultimate duo ate some breakfast; a time period that I won’t bother to divulge the details about because who really cares—and at last, Makoto and Sayaka went venturing back through the Easin Hills. There were still many faces (on this glorified fetch quest) to find, and though they had ample time to find them, getting things done as fast as possible would be the best option for all involved.

Because, last I checked, being faceless was not a fun experience.

Luckily, thanks to the power of plot convenience—I-I mean, _Usami,_ the e-Handbooks now had a dedicated GPS system for Miitopia. That way, the two Ultimates wouldn’t get horrifically lost trying to find all the important faces that had been taken by Dark Lord Fiery. Adventurers nowadays utilize maps all the time (usually accompanied by this thing you call a ‘mini-map’), so it’s not like it was anything totally abnormal.

“I think there’s another stolen face coming up ahead,” Makoto said, looking down at his e-Handbook’s new map function. “That’s what my e-Handbook is telling me, anyway.”

 _“Oh, boy! That didn’t take long!”_ Usami commented brightly. Sayaka peered over at Makoto’s e-Handbook, mentally noting that it was, in fact, directing them just a little further north. “That’s convenient,” she voiced. “I didn’t think we’d get to it that quickly. It’s only been a day, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Makoto confirmed. True to his optimistic nature, he then said, “It may mean that what’s up next may be a little tough… but it also means that we’ll get to bring hope to another distraught person here in Miitopia.” A warm smile came upon his face at the thought (he really is deserving of the future title ‘Ultimate Hope’) and that smile made Sayaka a little happier just by proxy. “I don’t want them to be faceless for too long.”

“Neither do I,” Sayaka agreed. She joked, “Being faceless would mean I wouldn’t be able to sing!” That would be pretty troublesome; for how turbulent the idol industry could be, she really did enjoy doing performances with her group of friends.

As the two kept walking forward, a flash of light distracted them from their earlier conversation. “H-Huh!?” The duo looked up, and lo and behold, there was a luminous face descending down from the sky. _Plankton,_ Makoto remembered. _That ‘tour guide’ from before._

Rather unnecessarily, Usami proclaimed, _“He's one of the poor faces that the Dark Lord stole!”_

“I remember that!” Makoto said.

Said tour guide's face was rather disgruntled with his current situation. “Oh joy,” he drawled, though there was an element of nervousness that had not quite been there before. “Somebody save me.”

“So _that's_ what a disembodied face looks like…” Sayaka breathed in horror. It was one thing to see individual facial features, like eyes or a nose – but a whole _face_ was still something she hadn't gotten used to yet. “I think I'm getting a little sick just looking at him…”

Immediately afterward, plumes of purple smoke erupted to reveal a large lavender butterfly—an actual butterfly, this time—behind Plankton's face, just as crystalline as the Rock Moths they had faced before. “Oh boy,” Plankton's face gulped, and the face was soon unceremoniously slapped right onto the wings of the butterfly.

As the now properly-faced monster screeched a battle cry, Usami helpfully declared, _“You're facing **Butterfly Plankton** now! Make sure to keep your wits up and never let despair win! I believe in you, guys—you can do it!”_ Her enthusiasm was charming, at least, background cheerleader or not!

“Alright, we got this!” Makoto stated confidently. It was finally time for a _real_ boss fight! (And yes, this actually _is_ a real boss fight this time. ‘Bout time, huh?) “Let's go, Sayaka!”

“Right!” The Luckster and Pop Sensation got into a battle stance and charged right in. With their respective stick and microphone (again, truly a great selection of weaponry), they laid a couple strikes on the oversized bug. The butterfly, not enjoying this, proceeded to quickly retaliate, its two wings slashing about at the adventurer duo. The slashes were fairly sharp, but it was nothing they couldn’t have handled—for now.

Makoto and Sayaka kept at it, trading shots and enduring enemy fire. Being a mere butterfly, Butterfly Plankton did not exactly have a lot of attack options to throw—good thing too, it’s not like this is _Mario & Luigi_—but at this stage in the game, the duo’s HP stats were not exactly high. (They _were_ just Level 2-ish; give ‘em a break!)

“Phew!” Makoto panted, raising his stick to perform another Cure on himself. Instinctively afterward, he knew—“I think my MP’s running low. I don’t think I have it in me to do another Cure…” Which wasn’t good; they were only halfway done taking down Butterfly Plankton. And he had plenty of energy left.

Sayaka wouldn’t have any of it. “That doesn’t matter,” she confidently stated. “I know we’ll be able to do this, Makoto. It’s like you say—just keep hoping, and we’ll win!” Her sweet **Cheers** served to well increase the Luckster’s own confidence. In his mind, he thought _…yeah. Yeah, we can do this!_ Somehow, the combination of two determinations inexplicably boosted Makoto’s MP back to usable. (Go, personality quirks!)

“Whoa… I feel… a little refreshed, now!” After quickly and miraculously dodging another swipe, Makoto had it in him to perform a Cure on Sayaka as well— **“Cure!”** —with him once more raising his stick to the sky.

The Pop Sensation certainly appreciated the action. “Thanks,” she said, a warm smile on her face. Re-energized, the two continued their assault while simultaneously making me regret how hard it is to write a battle with so few mechanics available. (There’s barely anything at this point in the game, you know…) But at last, the end was in sight – Butterfly Plankton was almost completely exhausted of his health.

Makoto, somehow thanks to his luck, was locked in single combat against the butterfly boss now. He was managing to hold his own—barely—but as he was still a little inexperienced in the ways of comeback, the butterfly was close to overwhelming him as it pressed against his held-up stick. _I should’ve trained with ‘Hina and Sakura more!_ he thought, trying his best to press back.

Sayaka knew she had to do something – her normal attacks would barely dent Butterfly Plankton, thanks to her status as a support-class character. That just left using Encore… and unfortunately, she had just run out of MP. (Don't you hate it when that happens?) _…maybe I was a little too overzealous using Encore on Makoto,_ she sheepishly lamented. Whatever the case now, she needed a way to get more MP!

As if she were psychic, Usami plodded up to her from the sidelines and cheerfully remarked, _“You look like you need just a little more MP, Sayaka!”_

“Well, yeah,” the Pop Sensation replied. “I need enough for just one more Encore, but I don’t have any way to get it back.”

 _“Don’t worry!”_ Usami, being her usual mostly-prepared self, proceeded to bring out three colored salt shakers—one with a yellow color, one with cyan, and one with red. She handed out the cyan-colored shaker to Sayaka, instructing her, _“Just sprinkle a little of this on yourself and you’ll have enough MP in no time!”_

 _Well, that’s convenient. I’ll take it!_ This was no time to ask for an explanation, anyway. Sayaka took the shaker and proceeded to shake it above her head, the cap pointed downward toward her. Somehow, as the ‘salt’ began to sprinkle down, she suddenly felt re-energized than before. Spinning around, she pointed her mic at Makoto and shouted, _“Go, Makoto! Show this bad guy a great **Encore!”**_

In a split second, Makoto felt his reflexes increase just a little bit faster, and with one final grunt, he pushed Butterfly Plankton away and gave him one final smack in the face. _“Take this!”_ At last, the overgrown butterfly wilted and laid down on the floor. Makoto panted a bit, but there was no doubt that he was happy and relieved that it was over. “Hah… Hah…” he panted. “He’s… He’s down! We did it!”

“Yeah…” The adrenaline rush over, Sayaka started to feel drained as well. Magical powers may help in that regard, but there’s no doubting that people can still get tired – especially after generally big, bombastic fights. “We beat him together.”

The enemy exploded away, leaving just Plankton’s face hovering free in the air. As he flew off, presumably back to Greenhorne, he could be heard saying, _“Well, at least I can say I became a butterfly to Krabs! Take that…!”_

With this small victory in their grasp, Makoto and Sayaka proceeded to collapse onto the ground next to each other. “I didn’t think… that this would end up… being so tiring…!” the Pop Sensation huffed out, equally as exhausted as her best friend. Despite that, however, she was still smiling. “But… I’m glad… I got to experience this… with you, Makoto.”

“Me too,” Makoto agreed. “It’s always more fun… being alongside a friend.” Now that he was looking at it, the night sky was rather pretty tonight – there were just so many stars twinkling brightly up there. Somehow, it looked even prettier than the one back home. There was really just something transcendent about it, in a way that couldn’t really be described. For a few precious moments, all the two friends did was stare up at the glimmering constellations above, ever twinkling with just a little spark of hope.

It just made them feel like… yeah. They could definitely do this.

 _“Great job, guys!”_ Speaking of hope, Usami came barreling back, the three salt shakers still piled in her arms. _“I knew you could do it! As your teacher, I'm proud of you!”_ Usami's happy attitude proved to be infectious, as Makoto and Sayaka's smiles grew a little bit bigger just with the bunny's disposition.

“Well, you were a big help too, Usami,” Sayaka pointed out. “Those sprinkles really helped us out today.”

Makoto looked a bit closer at said salt shakers. “What are they, though? They look a little out-there, honestly…” And it was true; have you ever seen any condiments with that strange a color choice?

 _“These are an adventurer's super-secret weapon: **Sprinkles**!” _ Usami informed the two. _“They have magical properties that bring beneficial effects when used in battle! The yellow one here heals HP, the blue one here heals MP, and the red one revives an unconscious party member!”_ She held up each Sprinkle shaker as she explained what they did. _“They can really help you out when you're in a pinch, so make sure to use them wisely!”_

“Neat,” Makoto said. “Anything that helps us out more is a good thing in my book. But, uhh…” He looked worried for a moment. “Won't they run out easily? It doesn't look like there's a lot of each in there…” And indeed, there were just enough Sprinkles to heal 20 HP and 5 MP (normally 10, but Sayaka had used some earlier, as you may recall).

_“Don't worry! Sprinkles are always fully refreshed once you make it to an inn! That's why they can be so helpful! And there's a way to make them stronger, too! As you rescue more faces from the clutches of Dark Lord Fiery, the people of Miitopia will be more indebted to you – and that power will make your Sprinkles more powerful! It's a great situation for everybody! Love, love!”_

“Looks like we're getting a lot of convenient things on this adventure,” Sayaka noted. “But I don't mind!” In a way, it was like curating a growing fanbase, which she had plenty of experience with (she’s a pop star, after all). The circumstances were different, sure, but it still operated on the same principles. “…say,” a question was coming to mind, “where's the nearest inn? I think we're still pretty tired from the earlier fight.”

 _“Oh, it's not too far from here!”_ Usami told them. _“Just walk a little further and you'll see it before you know it! Now, come on, my students! Wasting time right now would be a big no-no!”_ She bounded off toward the direction of the level exit—and I’m beginning to realize that this is probably why she mostly stays out of fight. Damn, her laziness skills are surpassing mine! (…is that a bad thing, or—?)

Having rested enough to keep walking, Makoto and Sayaka got off the floor, putting their makeshift weapons back into their hammerspace. “Hold on, Usami!” Makoto called out. “D-Don't walk so fast!” The Luckster ran to try and keep some semblance of a pace with the energetic rabbit. He was trying, at least.

Sayaka giggled. _Makoto looks so cute when he’s trying to run like that,_ she thought.

* * *

**Easin Hills – Inn Entrance**

Approximately five minutes later (Usami wasn't kidding about the travel time), the Luckster and the Pop Sensation arrived at their second inn – which, unsurprisingly, looked the exact same as the one they had left that morning. And as they stumbled across it, they found a very pleasant surprise.

“I knew I'd find you two eventually.” Standing right in front of the uninhabited inn was one of their fellow friends and classmate of Class 78 – Kyoko Kirigiri, a small smile perched across her normally stoic face.

“Kyoko!” Makoto's face brightened up at the sight of another of his best friends. Huh, this is kind of unexpected, I thought she wasn’t supposed to come into next level—oh, whatever. “You're here, too! You're—You're alright, right?” He looked pretty relieved at already finding another of his friends, and I can't blame him.

“Calm down Makoto, her face hasn’t been stolen or anything. I’m sure she’s okay,” Sayaka reassured him. (Kyoko raised an eyebrow. _That's new,_ she thought.) “Speaking of which… How'd you know to find us here, anyway? There was no guarantee we'd be able to run into each other like this.”

“After we were all transported to this strange land,” she began to explain, true to her nature as the Ultimate Detective, “I happened across this abandoned inn. I noted it looked oddly cleaned up and set about finding clues. The strange device inside was able to connect to my e-Handbook, and it brought up a general idea of where you two were headed.” The reason why it did that was because student e-Handbooks kept profiles for not just themselves, but their fellow classmates as well. (Though for some reason, there has been a persistent glitch in which people with ahoges can receive ‘updated report cards’ out of the blue. Hope's Peak's staff has been consistently unable to patch it out for some reason. I wonder why?)

 _“That must be the new StreetPass system working!”_ Usami perked up. _“It’s still an experiment, but it can help friends keep track of where the other is, so long as they're registered into the inn wi-fi! I'm glad to see that it's working perfectly fine!”_ (Under her breath, she muttered, _“Getting it to be able to register all of my students took so long, too…!”)_

Kyoko raised her other eyebrow at the sight of the self-proclaimed magical girl popping in. It was a testament to her patience that that was the only reaction on her face. “I see,” she simply stated. To the other two Ultimates, she asked, “May I ask who is this… little rabbit following you? I don't believe I've seen anyone like her before. Or your current outfits, now that I think about it.”

“Well, that’s a bit of a long story,” Makoto said. “Basically, this is Usami – she’s a ‘guardian spirit’ of sorts – and we're going on an adventure to save the world from this Dark Lord named Fiery. He's like a really bad guy around here. The things he's done are just… really crazy!”

Sayaka nodded. “I haven't seen this Dark Lord myself,” she added, “but based on what I've seen, he really needs to be stopped.”

“Interesting… You really manage to find yourself in the most abnormal of scenarios, don't you Makoto?” Kyoko lightly chuckled. (It comes with being a protagonist, I hear. Betcha they have studies about ahoge hair back at Hope’s Peak based on this kind of stuff.) “I'd like to hear the full story inside. I'm sure it'll be quite the tale.”

“It really is!” Sayaka agreed. “You should hear the things Makoto's already done here! It's really something else!”

“H-Hey, you’re making me blush…!” Makoto said, his face doing just that. (Get used to it, Makoto – you know this isn't going to be the end of it.)

* * *

**Easin Hills – Inn**

“So that's the situation here,” Kyoko said after listening to Makoto’s post-introductory plot recap. (Thank god I can just skip that stuff off-screen through the power of line breaks!) “A Dark Lord stealing people’s faces to plant onto powerful monsters… I admit, it is certainly out of the norm for us, even despite what the rest of us often get into.” The Great Justice Robo Incident sprang to mind again— _No no no,_ Kyoko reminded herself. _That never happened. Ever._ “I imagine Hifumi would have plenty of commentary based purely on the more fantastical elements of your story.”

This is the point where I remind you how Hifumi screamed something along the lines of _‘We're about to become the protagonists of an Isekai anime!’_ prior to being sucked in. (Because who _doesn't_ like Call Backs to just a few chapters ago?) “Yeah, he'd… definitely have a lot to say about this,” the Luckster agreed. “Probably too much.”

“Even so, I hope he's doing alright,” Sayaka said. _(Though I hope we find some of other friends first,_ she internally acknowledged.) “Maybe his… ‘studious’ nature means he'll handle this better than usual?”

“Who can say?” Kyoko did the verbal equivalent of a shoulder shrug. “I believe that they'll be able to handle themselves find enough. We _are_ students of Hope's Peak Academy, after all; it'd be remiss of us if we couldn't handle being lost for a little bit.” Despite the clinical nature of her words, they certainly got the job done.

“Well, you've got that right!” Makoto perked up. “I know we'll encounter everyone else eventually – that’s how strong our friendship is!”

 _“That's right!”_ Usami jumped in as well. _“Your bonds are strong enough to overcome any obstacle! They can be even more powerful than the greatest spell! Just keep hoping, and I know you'll succeed in your goals!”_ Her inspirational speeches honestly could have rivaled Makoto's, what with the amount of hope brimming in every word she spoke. It was almost mesmerizing. Kyoko would wager that Hope’s Peak Academy would even make her their mascot, should the bunny pop up back home.

“I suppose that's one way of putting it,” the detective surmised. _Perhaps there's a reason she approached Makoto first for this. They’re certainly alike when it comes to being optimistic._

“Speaking of which,” Sayaka chimed in, “it'd be nice if we could have you onboard, Kyoko! This adventure would be a lot easier if we had more people fighting alongside us.” They say friendship makes the world go ‘round, after all. Kirby's world certainly seems to run on it, so I guess why not Hope's Peak? Hope and friendship often find themselves deeply intertwined with one another in this field! …s-sorry, what was I supposed to be talking about again?

“Hmm… I suppose it wouldn’t be too troublesome if I joined in,” Kyoko stated. A little smile was tugging on her lips as she spoke. “You two certainly look like you could use the help.”

 _“That's great!”_ Usami cheered. Immediately, she drew out her Magic Stick from its resting place upon her back. _“That means this heart-throbbing adventure is going to be even more fun! That naughty Dark Lord Fiery will never see it coming! So I guess that means I better give you a job too, Kyoko!”_

“Right – you mentioned giving Makoto and Sayaka a ‘job’ of sorts,” the detective recalled. “A rather odd way to refer to traditional classes. Am I to assume you will be gifting one of said jobs to me as well?”

_“Of course! With my magic powers, I'll give you a job most suited for you! I don't know what that'll be, but I can tell you – it will be very helpful!”_

Normally, Kyoko wouldn't be considering this, but as I've stated before, weirder things have happened. This is probably a little too much hammering in, but – it bears repeating. And since Makoto and Sayaka seemed to perfectly trust Usami enough… Well, she’d taken bigger leaps of faith before. “Very well, then,” she nodded. “Let’s see what kind of job I get then.”

“Oh, I can't wait to see this!” Makoto was looking excited now by these prospects. It's like my anticipation for Smash Ultimate—I mean, the anticipation for that game you're really hyped for. (Ha! Nailed it!) “I wanna see the type of job you'll get too, Kyoko!”

“I'm curious as well,” Sayaka confessed. “It’ll be nice to see what ends up suiting you the most.” She got pretty lucky herself; what were the odds that her job would end up being her literal profession? Whatever Kyoko got, it would hopefully be something special itself.

 _“Alright – here we go! Bibidi bobidi, bibidi bobidi… **BOOOOOO!”**_ Usami's Magic Stick lit up the room with a vibrant pink glow again (jeez, were the already-on lights in the inn not enough?) and in the blink of an eye and an off-screen transformation sequence (probably), Kyoko's outfit had changed.

Thankfully, it wasn't as utterly poofy as Sayaka's Pop Star getup: atop her head was now a stereotypical witch’s hat, a purple band just above the rim, and her customary jacket and skirt had been replaced with a fairly long, equally dark-purple robe that practically screamed ‘I am a magic person!’. In her hand was also a stereotypical wand practically pulled straight out of the _Harry Potter_ franchise. It was clear what kind of job she had gotten, even to those who weren’t class-based RPG fanatics.

 _“Now you’re a **Mage**! You’ll be able to use a ton of powerful magic spells now to defeat your enemies with ease!”_ Usami stated. _“It’s like being a Magical Miracle Girl—like me! Love, love!”_

Kyoko looked over her outfit – it fit on pretty snugly, and it was designed as such that it wouldn’t get in the way of basic movement. “Not bad,” she admitted, swinging her new wand (which was much more of its namesake than Makoto’s starting ‘staff’) in practice. “I could get used to this, if I’m to wear this for a while.”

“That outfit really suits you!” Sayaka praised – she knew a thing or two about appealing designs herself, though not quite to the extent as Junko did. “I think you’ll do just fine on this journey with us.”

“Y-Yeah!” Makoto agreed. “M-Mages are always the strong guys in any media! And they often really help out the heroes, too! I have no doubt you’ll be just the same, Kyoko. I mean…” He scratched his back with another of his nervous smiles. “…you’re a pretty good detective, so—it’d, uh, it’d make sense that you’d be a pretty good mage too… right?” The Luckster was stumbling all over his words at this point, but the sentiment still carried.

The tips of Kyoko’s lips tipped upward just a little bit more. “I’ll try my best to live up those expectations then. It may not be what my family excels in—but it can’t hurt to give this a try.” _I wonder what type of spells I’ll be able to perform,_ she internally mused. _As I recall from my brief research—_ and by that, she meant research for one of her cases— _there are types such as Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. Does that traditional spell trio still hold up here? My curiosity is peaking, admittedly._

 _“Yayyyyyyyyy!”_ Usami suddenly cheered. _“Now we have **three** party members on the job! That Dark Lord will be dethroned before he knows it, and we’ll bring back hope to everyone in Miitopia! But first…”_ The little rabbit started tugging at Kyoko’s sleeve. _“I have to show you everything and get you used to how this world works!”_ Being a ‘Magical Miracle Girl’, she was surprisingly adept at getting Kyoko to move along. _“Come on—you need every inch of information I can give you!”_

Interested, Kyoko followed Usami around as she began to explain further how the world of Miitopia functioned. (As much as it pains me to say it, she should probably make a manual – we have plenty of party members left to go.) Left behind, Makoto and Sayaka wondered what they were going to do while inside the inn. “So, uhh…” Makoto started saying, “…I guess we should—”

“—see what else the device on the wall can do?” Sayaka finished, referring to the Game Boy Advance that I’m honestly still baffled over. “I think we have enough money to check out the shop again.”

“Let’s do it then! I, erm… kind of want a better weapon than just a stick…”

“Don’t worry – I know you’ll do fine with whatever you get. So long as we have our friendship, I don’t think we’ll need any ‘real’ weapons at all!”

“S-Stop, Sayaka, you’re making me blush…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll be taking a few liberties when it comes to when teammates join Makoto’s party – a party of two is less interesting to write than a party of three/four. So here's Kyoko, introduced a little early!
> 
> In-game, Kyoko became my party’s Cautious Mage. She could’ve been either Cautious or Cool, but I felt her personality lent itself more to being the former – there are plenty of moments in _Trigger Happy Havoc_ that can attest to that. And out of the six initial jobs available from the start, being a Mage seems to suit her the best in my personal opinion.
> 
> There’s also a little more tutorial fluff in this chapter because I felt that cramming everything in the last chapter would have hurt the pacing. I had Usami introduce the first three type of Sprinkles all at once because I felt like it would make more sense from a story standpoint. Expect them to be pretty relegated to the background for now, though.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for more _Miitopia_ -related shenanigans!


	7. A Friendly Disposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this totally-not-a-filler chapter, Makoto and co. properly restore Plankton’s face and continue their adventures on the Easin Hills. They’re really getting into the swing of things now!
> 
> …I’m struggling to figure out a better summary for this chapter, believe me.

Rise and shine, everybody! It’s Day 4 of _Class 78’s Face-Off Hope Romp™!_ Let’s get out there and go save some faces!

Wait… What do you mean it’s only Day 3!?

Damn it, I knew I was forgetting something!

…oh wait, I don’t care.

Anyway…

Where we last left off, Makoto and Sayaka had conveniently managed to reunite with Kyoko, who had unsurprisingly managed to find an inn on her own. And figured out part of its systems, too. (Would’ve been funnier if she got into her own shenanigans first, but… I guess that’s too cracky for the Ultimate Detective.) With the Detective-turned- **Mage** on their team, their quest is only about to get better from here!

It’ll be interesting to see how Kyoko reacts to everything in this glorified tale of crack, I’ll admit.

Somebody go find all the cups of ramen; I’d love to see _that,_ if you know what I mean _._

(…you do, right? Please tell me you do.)

* * *

**Easin Hills – Inn**

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many large rock-like structures along a grasslands like this,” Kyoko commented. Having woken up early, as was her custom, she had taken to looking out the window as the sun began to shine through. In her hand was a mug full of coffee – detective stereotypes, I guess – which she was currently sipping out of. “It certainly has a sort of cartoonish charm to it, I suppose, as unrealistic as it may be.” Unfortunately, she wasn’t one to be able to appreciate it – but at least Makoto seemed to like it.

 _“That’s part of what makes Miitopia so great!”_ Usami pepped up beside her, her arms raised high into the sky (is she just going to do that all the time, or…?). _“The clear skies and the bright sun make it even better, too!”_

Sip. “So, you say that there are—as you put it—‘tons of monsters walking around,’ yes?”

_“Unfortunately… That Dark Lord just works too fast! That’s why we have to fight his terror by saving as many faces as we can! His influence may not be that big right now, but if we can show Miitopia that there’s still hope to be found against Dark Lord Fiery’s despair while we still can, I know we’ll be able to rise up against him! Love, love!”_

“So you say.” Sip. _Her enthusiasm, again, is truly something else._ Idly, Kyoko got out her e-Handbook and brought up the Map function. She browsed around, looking at the three objective markers blinking and trying to attract her attention.

 _Let’s see…_ Her mind got to analyzing. _According to Makoto, there are still three faces left that we have to rescue. The closest one to us should be relatively northeast from our current positions, so we should make that one our next target._

Though she had only just been inducted into the ‘Ultimate Adventurers’ club the previous night (that was what Sayaka was calling them; honestly, I think it fits just fine), she was already on top of things. That’s just the way her mind works, I suppose. No wonder she’s her game’s Ensemble Darkhorse…

She got out her wand next, having decided to take an intricate look at it. After all, if it was to be her weapon for the next… few weeks, minimum (How long do adventures typically last again? They don’t exactly say), then it was best to make sure that it was suitable to conduct its purpose. I mean—it’s like trying to use a Dried ‘Shroom in place of a normal Mushroom. You just don’t do that.

(As a side note, Dried ‘Shrooms really do taste awful. Just sayin’. _Eugh.)_

Kyoko’s Apprentice Wand was primarily brown and wooden, two coils separating the main part of the wand from its handle. The handle itself had a crisscross texture, though it was comfortable enough to carry. And on the bottom of the wand, there was a little ball-like bauble meant presumably for decoration. Experimentally, the Detective swung the wand around. It was mobile enough; she could definitely thrust it into her enemies for some significant damage. (And no, I don’t mean it in _that_ way, you sickos.)

“A worthwhile weapon, for now,” she mused, clapping it in her hand. “At least, until I learn some of these ‘spells’ that those of my class than supposedly learn.” If she recalled from the explanation Usami had given her last night, abilities were gained from EXP—Experience Points—which one could gain by defeating enemies.

She hoped it wouldn’t take too long to get her first spell. She wasn’t exactly one for physical combat, being a detective and all.

 _“You’re not worried, are you Kyoko?”_ Usami felt the need to ask. _“I know I’m asking a lot out of everyone and all…”_

“It’s nothing like that,” Kyoko assured her. (Sip.) Despite Usami’s rather… saccharine nature, there was a sense of genuine goodness in her that gave her a bit of charm. (If circumstances were different, though, that could definitely change.) “In fact, I’m confident that we’ll be able to get the job done. I’m just simply thinking over things before the day begins. You have nothing to fear.”

 _“That’s a relief!”_ the rabbit relaxed, beaming with relief. _“That Dark Lord won’t know what’ll hit him!”_ A light bulb then visibly went off in her head. _“Oh! That reminds me! I have to go wake Makoto and Sayaka up! If they sleep too much, it’ll be hard for them to them to exercise well!”_

And so Usami bounded past Kyoko and up the stairs to the two Ultimates’ room. Interested, the Detective turned around in the room’s direction, and raised an eyebrow upon hearing the self-proclaimed Magical Girl cry out, _“Gooooooood morning, everybody! It’s time for another fannnnnnntastic day in Miitopia to begin!”_ (W-Wait, isn’t that exactly what she said _last_ chapter?)

The sound of a ‘thwump’—and a subsequent sharp cry—echoing out from the open door only raised it higher. _That must’ve been Makoto,_ she thought. Such a reaction could only have come from the results of his luck.

…you know, it’s probably a good thing Miitopia doesn’t have a stat value for ‘Stach—I mean, luck; I’d hate to see what Makoto’s looks like compared to everyone else’s. (Or, heaven forbid, _Nagito’s… Brrrr!)_

 _“A-Again, Makoto?”_ Sayaka’s voice fluttered out. _“You’re—You’re still alright, right?”_

_“Yeah! I am, don’t worry! …I think we need to get an alarm clock, though.”_

Sip. _You know,_ Kyoko pondered, _I imagine this will be a regular thing from here on out._

_…Well, I suppose it’s not like it’s anything different from our usual._

* * *

**Greenhorne Village**

With Plankton’s face having been saved the previous day, it was only right that the crew go make sure it actually came back to him. There was also the chance that he’d give them free stuff, but to Makoto, that was much more of a side benefit than the actual reward. (It’d be the other way around for me, honestly. I mean—come on! It’s _free stuff! Free!)_

So one teleportation and a little walk later, the Ultimate Adventurers were back in Greenhorne Village. Or, more accurately, Makoto was back; this was Sayaka and Kyoko’s first visit here. And for them, the village was something to behold – though it definitely wasn’t for the jolliness and happiness the town was usually known for.

Sayaka’s eyes immediately widened upon seeing the darkened skies surrounding the town. “Wh-What happened here!?” she exclaimed. “It feels like a bomb went off here! I’ve… I’ve never felt anything _like_ it!” The amount of despair in the air was so high, it was almost comical. Honestly, Junko would love it; I’m pretty sure we _all_ know her… penchant for despair, at this point.

(…man, remember when that was the biggest spoiler ever? Good times, good times… wait, those weren’t good times.)

“A bomb, huh? That might actually be better than what actually happened,” Makoto said, rubbing the back of his head. He shivered automatically as he recalled what had happened mere days earlier. “Everyone’s faces being lifted from their face… and who knows what Fiery’s doing with them!”

“So this is what the ‘Dark Lord’ can do…” Kyoko muttered to herself, taking in the environment before her. It was truly something that she had never really seen before. Crime scenes had nothing on this (because usually people are dead by then). “I can see why Usami says why he must be stopped.” A glance at the de-faced people nearby – Marie, Amaterasu, Rick – told her enough. “Such a fate looks truly horrifying. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

As a side note, she noted how the town seemed to have a general medieval theme – a rather stereotypical location in a fantasy setting. _I should make a note of that, for later._ (For who knew when knowledge of tropes could come in handy?)

A determined expression came upon Sayaka’s face. “I guess that means we better do all we can to save everyone, then,” she stated. This may have been her first time seeing this, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t sympathize. “Everyone looks so sad… It’d be terrible of us we didn’t do a thing to help them.”

“That’s right!” Makoto nodded. “We can’t just let them despair like this! We have to bring back hope to them! So long as they have that, the Dark Lord won’t be able to win – I know it!”

 _“Yeah! Bring back hope!”_ Usami unnecessarily chimed in.

Kyoko chuckled. “You and your hope,” she said.

* * *

“Wow, he’s so tiny!” Sayaka observed with astonishment at the figure below her. Indeed, Plankton’s size was far smaller than even the short people back at Hope’s Peak. Like, far, _far_ too small. “You could step on him and not even know he was there!”

“D-Don’t actually step on him, though…” Makoto said sheepishly. “I don’t think he’d like it.”

And for some reason, Sayaka’s intuition was screaming that this guy looked vaguely familiar – the ‘why’ she couldn’t exactly pin down at the given moment. _I swear I’ve seen him on TV somewhere before… but where?_

Even Kyoko seemed a little surprised. “H-He’s one of the stolen faces…?” she questioned, a glove held up to her mouth. “…this world is stranger than I thought it would be.” Speak for yourself; your academy alone has split personality serial killers and occult-obsessed overlord breeders, among a litany of other things. You think _this_ is strange? Just wait ‘til _Killing Harmony_ comes around!

(…oh wait, that’s not in _their_ ‘verse. N-Never mind.)

A few moments later, Plankton’s face – which had sure taken its sweet time getting around – descended from the sky, and his faceless body jumped up in delight. The face circled around its owner’s body for quite some time as said body jumped to retrieve it, and the whole scene was something of wonder to witness. _He’s not doing that on purpose, is he?_ Makoto wondered. _Because if so… that’s just **weird.**_

Eventually, the face properly returned to where it should be – and once it did, Plankton _really_ started shooting up with joy. _“Yes!”_ he cried, raising his arms to the sky. “Praise Neptune, I finally have my face back! Oh man, I am never telling Karen about _this…”_

“So that’s what a face returning to its owner looks like,” Kyoko observed. “Interesting.” Another thing she took note of was how Plankton’s face only seemed to return after the Ultimates had arrived. If she didn’t know any better, she would say it was an excuse for an author or something to pad out their fic. (Ha ha ha… Who would ever do something like _that,_ though?)

(…hey, _wait_ a sec—!)

“Hey there, Plankton!” Makoto greeted the self-proclaimed tour guide. There was a soft smile on his face, as was his usual feeling when seeing someone else be happy. “It’s good to see you’re okay now.”

Plankton stopped his miniature celebration and turned to face the three Ultimates. He raised his eyebrow at Makoto. “Oh. It’s you again,” he stated bluntly. Well, _that_ was polite of him. “I guess you’re not all _that_ bad, if you can… assist me from such an uncomfortable situation,” he begrudgingly complimented – which Makoto would take as a good thing!

And then he noticed the two girls standing next to the Luckster. “…great, and you people are multiplying now, too,” he snarked. “Next thing you know, they’ll be babies as far as the eye can see. Not looking forward to that day…”

Makoto and Sayaka immediately began blushing a bright red—ooh, more Ship Tease!—and were now stammering out denials as far as the eye can see—no wait, as far as the ear can hear. (That… doesn’t have the same ring to it…)

“Wh-Wha!? It—It’s not like _that!_ You—You’ve got it all wrong—!”

“B-Babies!? W-Well, I wouldn’t mi—w-wait, n-now’s not the time—!”

Their responses were rather humorous, in my opinion. You can smell the sexual tension (that’s what it’s called, right?) from a mile away. Or two. Or twenty. Or anywhere, really.

…oh god, what the heck kind of smell is that?

Kyoko chuckled in amusement herself. _My my, they’re certainly trying hard to deny it,_ she thought. _The way this is going, I wonder which of us will be the one to win Celeste’s betting ring._

Yes, there was a betting ring for when Makoto and Sayaka would eventually hook up. Because of course there was. Just look at how much Ship Tease there was in the last few chapters! The only reason Class 78—and some of Class 77-B as well—were even bothering to participate in it was because Celeste wasn’t actually making any bets herself, thank all the gods.

How the central duo hadn’t found about it yet is beyond me.

“Well, it doesn’t concern me,” Plankton dismissed. You know, it’s kind of hard to take him seriously like that when he’s about as big as my hand. “I’ve got better things to do with my time, so… here.” Abruptly, he hoisted approximately two-hundred gold coins into Makoto’s hands. Hey, _there’s_ the free stuff! “You people like rewards, right? Take it. I don’t really need it.”

“Wow. Thanks!” Like he did with Alphys’ reward a couple days earlier, Makoto stuffed the 200g into his pockets. He’ll figure out something to do with it, eventually. And maybe get a wallet for it, too; having all of that gold spill onto the floor would seriously suck. _Maybe we can get one from the inn terminals? If they can give out food and equipment, then a wallet wouldn’t be too out of the question… I hope._

With Plankton walking away—presumably to do the ‘better things’ he was referring to—it was time for the crew to move along. “Okay,” Makoto said, “that’s two faces down, and three more left to go! We’re making good progress, guys!”

Sayaka put a finger to her lips. “Three more, huh? That doesn’t seem all too bad!” She smiled widely. “We’ll be able to get this done together easily, no sweat! And hopefully we’ll find everyone else as we go, too!” _Besides,_ she thought, _being able to have a whole adventure with Makoto? Sign me up!_ She was willing to admit to herself, at least, that that was a pretty big motivation for her.

Then, Makoto realized something. “Hey, that reminds me… Where did Usami go?” He looked around, but he didn’t see the little bunny anywhere. Like, at all. Which should not have been possible; she can’t stealth at all. “She was just here a moment ago…”

Sayaka noticed the same thing. “Huh, you’re right,” she noticed. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, _“Hey! Usami! Where are you!? Come on out!”_

No response, of course.

“…that’s strange,” the Pop Sensation admitted, “even for Usami. She sticks out like a sore thumb, even here.”

“Hmm…” Kyoko raised a hand to her chin as she once again surveyed the crew’s surroundings. If anyone could find the missing rabbit, it was the Ultimate Detective. She didn’t get her title for nothing!

It took her a little bit, but eventually, she managed to locate Usami. “She’s right there,” she stated, pointing her out in the crowd. Makoto and Sayaka turned to look, and lo and behold, there she was. In fact, she was right in front of Cheery Granny Marie’s stand, trying to haggle for something.

The Ultimate trio could hear snippets of the conversation from their current positions. _“…please! …want carrots! …growing lady… need nutrition!”_

“…”

_“You don’t have…!? …can’t be…! …getting hungry…”_

“…”

Based on the words Kyoko could hear… “It appears she is attempting to buy some carrots,” the Detective summarized in her typical stoic fashion. “And she is not succeeding.”

Sayaka blinked. “She eats carrots?” she asked, a little surprised. “I thought she’d break tradition and have her preferred food be something else. Carrots just seem… too stereotypical for her.” I suppose such expectations are valid, when you people come from a world that sets up stereotypes and breaks them harder than Kirby punching his own planet in half. Repeatedly. Plus Bandana Dee.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing, though,” Makoto replied. “I mean, she should get to like what she wants to like, right? There’s nothing wrong about that.”

“Hmm… I guess you’re right,” the Pop Sensation concluded. “Hopefully, that means we won’t have to worry about her eating too many of our HP Bananas, then.”

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. “…why would a rabbit be eating bananas, of all things?”

Makoto couldn’t do much else but shrug his shoulders. “I dunno. She’d probably just would… even without knowing it.”

“I suppose you have a point, there.”

* * *

**Easin Hills**

Returning to Easin Hills, the Ultimate Adventurers were back to hunting the three remaining Greenhorne faces. The path ahead was neither overly difficult nor utterly easy, though Makoto and Sayaka at this point had gained some relative competence with their still relatively green abilities. (…as much as Makoto could, anyway, given how his special skills was more healing than actual combat.)

Kyoko had gotten the hang of things herself, managing to learn her first spell— **Fire** , appropriately enough—and was elegantly weaving it into combat between stabbing enemies with her Apprentice Wand. **“Fire,”** she cast, watching as the Goblin before her suitably exploded in flame.

If the Goblin could speak, it would most certainly be shouting _“I’m on fire, I’M ON FIRE!”_ or something to that effect. Not that it mattered, because it was soon downed by another wand strike from Kyoko. (Boy, does that last part feel weird to say!) “You’ve lost today,” she stoically taunted the enemy as its trapped eyes were released into the air.

 _“Wow, Kyoko! You’re pretty good!”_ Usami complimented from the sidelines. _“I’m surprised you’re already so skilled at this!”_

“It’s not like it’s all that difficult,” the Detective-turned-Mage said, casually sidestepping another Goblin’s attempt to attack her. “If the enemies were on the level of, say, Sakura or Mukuro, we would be having a much harder time.” Makoto was quick to assist her, bopping the Goblin on the head with his staff—I’m sorry, _stick_ harshly. She smiled. “Thanks for that, Makoto.”

“You’re welcome, Kyoko!” The Luckster began bopping the Goblin several more times, and it exploded away in short order. Meanwhile, Sayaka was spinning around and keeping two other Goblins at bay. Her experience moving about onstage helped her immensely; tshe was dashing about too fast for the Goblins to keep up.

“Can’t get me!” she mocked the enemies, dancing about like she was performing – and to her, she might as well have been, seeing as her Luckster was in the vicinity. _I can’t stop now. I gotta do my best for Makoto!_ With the power of their not-quite-upgraded relationship on her mind, she started **Showing Off**. And by that, I mean she started hitting the Goblins surrounding her harder – evident in the fact that they were recoiling harder as well – and then they fell.

…what? You expected something more spectacular? She doesn’t have a lot of abilities right now, buddies; what _else_ could she do?

“Great job, Sayaka!” And speak of the devil; it looked like Makoto had seen her efforts. The Pop Sensation beamed. _Ha! He liked it! Woooooo!_ (Oh, get a room already!)

And with that, the battle had concluded, and it was time to reap the rewards. Experience points aside (though the small adrenaline rush gotten from them wasn’t exactly bad), the four Goblins had dropped a few gold, plus some good ‘ol Goblin Ham to consume. Makoto went to pick it up. “It’s still pretty weird, how these just drop out of nowhere,” he mentioned as he stuffed that into his pocket as well—okay, is everything he gets just going to go in there? “It really does make this feel like a video game.”

“That’s not an inherently bad thing,” Sayaka pointed out. “It makes our life easier, so I think it all works out!”

“I do have to wonder, though…” Kyoko put in, “Why _is_ Miitopia so much like a traditional video game? If it were just fantasy elements, it wouldn’t be noticeable, but here we have experience points and loot drops – terms which I only know from Chihiro and Hifumi’s constant gaming sessions.” The two most technologically-involved Ultimates in Class 78 often talked about their progress in whatever games they were playing in their spare time – RPGs, of course, being a common shared factor.

Makoto knew that all too well, thanks to spending Free Time Events with the two.

 _“That’s because this world **is** based off of a video game,”_ Usami informed them. _“I don’t know much about that, to be honest—”_ Why do I get the feeling that’s a bit of a lie? _“—but I don’t think it really matters.”_ She sniffed the air. _“Those Goblin Hams smell really good! Can I have some when we get to the inn? I’m starving; Marie couldn’t give me any carrots at all! Such a shame…”_

“You really like carrots, huh?” Makoto said. “You know, I’m pretty sure you can order carrots off of the terminal. They’ve got all kind of food items on there.”

 _“I know—but they’ve got a shortage right now!”_ she pouted. _“I’m sure that’s a part of the Dark Lord’s plan: make me too hungry to function, so that he can steal all the faces he wants while I can’t do anything at all!”_ The Luckster and the Pop Sensation looked at each other. _She… doesn’t actually believe that, does she?_ _“Unfortunately for him, I’m not that easy to break!”_

To her credit, Kyoko didn’t so much as blink at Usami’s short, nonsensical rant. “I’m sure that’s the case,” she said without hesitating. She proceeded to suggest, “Perhaps if we’re lucky, we might stumble upon some fresh carrots for you, then.”

 _“Great idea!”_ the Magical Girl perked up. _“There’s always something to find on an adventure! Let’s go and find some carrots then!”_ Usami ran forward, eager to hunt down her favorite food.

“…she’s certainly something else,” Kyoko said after a little bit. What an understatement.

“I think she’s adorable,” Sayaka chimed in. “Who couldn’t like that cheerful smile and cute appearance?” She’s got a point, admittedly. “Despite her faults, you have to admit she’s a pretty good guide!”

Kyoko considered the conversations she had had with Usami earlier, and decided, “In a way, I suppose that’s true.”

“Hey guys,” Makoto interrupted the two, “shouldn’t we tell her she’s going the wrong way?”

Sayaka turned to look at her Luckster’s request. “…oh.” Indeed, the little bunny was going in the complete wrong direction. “We… We probably should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shenanigans ahoy! With Kyoko on the team, things are going to be getting more interesting from here on out.
> 
> Sorry this chapter was fairly non-descript, especially given the month-long timeframe in which there wasn’t an update (I really have got to get better at not procrastinating). But, hey: not all chapters are meant to be long, and I feel like this chapter’s decently written enough for it to hold its own.
> 
> …I should hope so, anyway; for some reason, this chapter was a little more difficult to write than usual. I have no idea why, but something tells me it has to do with my increased inspiration for _Kirby_ fics. Hmm.
> 
> Well, that’s all for now – tune in next time for when the Dark Lord Fiery returns to menace our heroes! (Oh, and some other stuff happens. You know, the usual.)


End file.
